An 11 year study in Finland has found a correlation between low fitness levels and a higher incidence of stroke.

The study, conducted by the Research Institute of Public health and the Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine in Finland, followed 2,000 men who had not suffered a stroke before. The participants had their fitness level determined by having their maximum oxygen level measured during exercise.

During the 11-year study, 110 men suffered a stroke. Researchers report the unfit men were more likely to suffer a stroke than the fit men and went so far as to say that low cardiorespiratory fitness was as comparable a risk factor for stroke as obesity, high blood pressure and smoking.

Indeed the researchers feel it should be used in the evaluation of a person’s risk for a future stroke.