The Fitness Age studies
More than 15 published research studies confirm the accuracy and health predictions linked to Mia Health's fitness age calculations.
Accurate Fitness Age estimates
Places 70% in correct VO2 max quintile and 95% in correct or neighboring quintile
FItness Age reveals current health
Persons with poor Fitness Age are far more likely to have physical and mental diseases, such as depression, obesity and fatty liver disease
Fitness Age predicts future health
Higher Fitness Age associates with higher risk of early death, several heart diseases, cancer, dementia and several mental disorders.
About the project
The Fitness Calculator in Mia Health estimates your Fitness Age, measured as maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max). The background for the algorithm is more than 40 years of research, linking the estimates Fitness Age to more than 20 different health outcomes.
Making and validating the algorithm
In 2007 and 2008, several thousand Norwegians tested their fitness accurately on a treadmill in The HUNT Fitness Study. They also answered several questions and had a complete health check-up as part of the third HUNT study (HUNT3).
Therefore, we could establish the most important factors for fitness among healthy women and men. These factors – namely age, body mass index (BMI), leisure-time physical activity and resting heart rate – are those included in the algorithm that constitutes our Fitness Calculator.
By calculating Fitness Age for more than 230,000 men and women who have participated in the comprehensive Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) one or more times between 1984 and 2019, the research has been able to quantify the health benefits of maintaining a certain Fitness Age.
Research institution
Publications
Low Fitness Age could protect against the health risks from drinking alcohol
Increasing Fitness Age is linked to higher risk of dying prematurely than increasing alcohol consumption.
Higher Fitness Age increases risk of aortic valve replacement
The fittest 20% have more than halved risk of developing aortic stenosis requiring surgery, and also higher survival if they need surgery.
Lower Fitness Age reduces cancer risk
The overall cancer risk is 15% lower for the fittest third compared with third with lowest fitness for age.
Lower Fitness Age links to lower risk of heart surgery
The higher score on the Fitness Calculator, the lower is the risk of needing surgery to unclog the heart's arteries over the next 20 years.
Have atrial fibrillation? The Fitness Calculator predicts your heart risk
The Calculator is accurate for persons with atrial fibrillation. The 25% fittest have 40% lower risk of early death and heart disease.
Your Fitness Age reveals the risk of atrial fibrillation
Higher fitness, as well as increasing fitness over time, links to lower link of atrial fibrillation in both men and women.
Less dementia when reducing Fitness Age
Maintaing high or improving fitness associates with a 40-50% reduced risk of getting dementia and dying from or with dementia.
Strong links between Fitness Age and depression
A low Fitness Age is linked to lower likelihood of having depression today and reduced risk of getting depressed over the next few decades.
The Fitness Calculator predicts heart attacks in middle-aged and older persons
For each 10-year decreased fitness age, the risk of an acute heart attack is 11% lower in women and 3% lower in men.
Middle-aged persons who improve their Fitness Age have larger brains
Improving the score on the Fitness Calculator over time is linked to higher brain volumes in middle-aged persons.
Mental health and Fitness Age combined predicts death risk
Persons who maintain a low Fitness Age and report low symptoms of depression over time have lower risk of early death.
The Fitness Calculator is all you need to estimate cardiovascular risk
Adding traditional risk factors to the model does not improve the heart disease risk predictions compared to just using the calculator.
The Fitness Calculator predicts long-term mortality
The risk of dying from all-causes and from cardiovascular disease is up to 20% lower for each Fitness Age decrease of approximately 10 years
The making of an accurate non-exercise Fitness Calculator
Just by using data from questionnaires, the Fitness Calculator accurately predicts the physical capacity of men and women of all ages.
The Fitness Calculator predicts fatty liver disease
The 20% with the highest Fitness Age have several-fold increased likelihood of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.