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Both taking statins and increasing physical activity lower mortality in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, but few data exist on the comparative or synergistic effects of these interventions. Researchers followed more than 10,000 military veterans (97% men; 52% black) with dyslipidemia who received care through the U.S. Veterans Administration and underwent exercise tolerance tests between 1986 and 2011. Each patient was assigned to one of four fitness strata, based on peak exercise capacity at cohort entry (from ≤5.0 to >9.0 metabolic equivalents [MET]) and was classified as a statin user (for at least 3 months) or nonuser. Patients were followed prospectively for a median of 10 years.
After adjustment for potential confounders, s…