#ObservationalStudies

The well-held belief that physical fitness in youth directly causes a lowered risk of early death is being challenged by new research from Uppsala University, which suggests that the true relationship between fitness and mortality may be far more complex than previously thought. The findings, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, reveal that even random factors—such as accidents—show similar associations to fitness and premature death as diseases, raising questions about the validity of past conclusions on the protective effects of fitness alone.