Dietary Patterns and Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Dietary patterns—defined as the combination and frequency of foods habitually consumed—play a pivotal role in shaping cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), a key marker of cardiovascular health and physical performance. Traditional diets such as the Mediterranean and Atlantic models emphasise plant-based foods, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats, delivering a mix of nutrients that support oxygen transport, mitochondrial function and vascular integrity. Synergistic effects of phytochemicals, unsaturated fatty acids and dietary fibre improve endothelial function and reduce systemic inflammation, thereby enhancing maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and exercise tolerance. Emerging plant‐based and flexitarian regimens also show promise in promoting aerobic capacity through favourable shifts in body composition and metabolic flexibility. The interaction between diet quality and habitual physical activity suggests that optimised nutrition can potentiate training adaptations, support recovery and mitigate age‐related declines in CRF. Globally, these findings underscore the potential for culturally adapted dietary guidelines to bolster public health by improving population‐level fitness, reducing cardiometabolic risk and enhancing quality of life.

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Dietary Patterns and Cardiorespiratory Fitness publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dietary patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF): The ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to muscles during sustained physical activity, often quantified by maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max).

VO₂max: The maximum volume of oxygen that an individual can utilise per minute during intense exercise, measured in millilitres per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹).

Dietary pattern: The overall combination, frequency and variety of foods and beverages consumed, reflecting habitual dietary intake rather than individual nutrients.

Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP): A log‐transformed ratio of triglycerides to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, used as a marker of lipid‐related cardiovascular risk.

References

1. Association of Adherence to Specific Mediterranean Diet Components and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Young Adults. Nutrients (2020).
2. Dietary Patterns, Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness in 9–11-Year-Old Children from Dunedin, New Zealand. Nutrients (2018).
3. Adherence to Southern European Atlantic Diet and physical fitness on the atherogenic index of plasma in adolescents. Cadernos de Saúde Pública (2019).