Washington: According to the U.S. researchers, fitness is more important than losing fat to live longer.

In the study, it was found that men and women who were fit but were fatty or obese with age 60 and older, as measured by treadmill exercise testing had a lower mortality risk than those of normal weight but low fitness levels.

Fitness is found to be a strong predictor of longevity.

Lower level of fitness is related to higher risk of death from all causes.

University of South Carolina diet and exercise researcher Steven N. Blair, PED says it is clear that carrying excess weight is less dangerous for older people than for people who are young or middle aged.

Blair said, “I don't want to sound like an apologist for obesity, but in older people it is not as important a determinant of mortality as it is in younger people.”

The newly reported study included 2,603 people in their 60s and older followed for an average of 12 years.

Blair said, “Being fit provides protection against mortality in these men and women 60 and older, whether they're normal weight, overweight or obese”

Those in the bottom fifth in terms of fitness had a death rate four times higher than participants ranked in the top fifth for fitness.

“You shouldn’t be scared and think, ‘Oh, I’m overweight, I’m obese, it’s useless for me to be physically active,” said Dr. Xuemei Sui, another University of South Carolina researcher who worked on the study.

All the participants received detailed health examinations upon study entry, as well as the exercise fitness test and measurements of their body mass index (BMI), person's weight and height -- as well as waist circumference and body fat percentage.

Better fitness was associated with less likelihood of diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Death rates for those with the highest fitness levels were less than half that of those who were physically unfit.

The study revealed that a modest effort to improve physical activity can provide health benefits. The study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.