Jae SY, et al. - In this prospective study, researchers used a population sample of middle-aged men (42-60 years), who were followed up in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease cohort study to assess the individual and combined associations of cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index (BMI) with the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in this population. Based on the median values of fitness and BMI, four groups of participants were compared (fit-normal weight, unfit-normal weight, fit-overweight/obese, and unfit-overweight/obese). They found independent associations of both overweight/obesity and fitness with the risk of SCD. However, the risk of SCD in overweight/obese men appeared to be reduced by fitness. This implied that via fitness improvement, the risk of SCD may be attenuated in this population.