02/21/2026
You can have normal or even excellent cholesterol and still be at higher risk.
Cholesterol tells us one part of the story.
Fitness shows how your heart, lungs, and muscles actually perform together in real life.
That’s why lab results can look “perfect” while your physiology tells a different story. Low cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly linked to higher overall mortality risk, even more than some traditional risk factors.
This doesn’t mean cholesterol doesn’t matter.
It means fitness helps explain how your body handles that risk day to day.
If you want one simple predictor of future health, pay attention to what your body can do, not just what shows up on paper.