Researchers have found that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) during midlife provides a greater benefit than just living longer. It also means that the onset of serious illnesses is delayed. This is one of the main points of a new study published in JACC, the American College of Cardiology’s flagship journal. The study found that those who had higher levels of CRF during middle age not only lived longer, but also experienced major chronic diseases later in life and spent more years living in good health. When looking at these results, it is important to separate living longer from living longer without any major chronic disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, etc. Cardiorespiratory fitness, or CRF, refers to how efficiently your heart and lungs supply oxygen for physical activities. For many years, it has been established that individuals with higher levels of CRF have a lower risk of dying from heart disease or other illnesses that might result in an early death. Now we see that CRF in midlife is also related to what …