Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise: A National Data Base (FRIEND)

The FRIEND Registry is a multinational data base of cardiopulmonary exercise tests initiated in parallel with the publication of an American Heart Association Scientific Statement citing the need for better reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness. Its purpose is to enhance the value of cardiorespiratory fitness across environments, including the clinical setting and workplace as well as the public, to better inform national policy efforts on physical fitness, activity and health.

The project is coordinated by Dr. Lenny Kaminsky at Ball State University, Dr. Ross Arena at the University of Chicago, and Dr. Jonathan Myers at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. A sampling of publications since its inception in 2013 follows:

Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Beckie T, Brubaker P, Church T, Forman DE, Franklin B, Gulati M, Lavie CJ, Myers J, Patel MJ, Pina I, Weintraub WS, Williams M. The Importance of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the U.S.: The Need for a National Registry. A policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 127:1-11, 2013.

Kaminsky L, Myers J, Arena R. Reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing:  Data from the fitness registry and the importance of exercise national database (FRIEND Registry). Mayo Clinic Proceedings 90:1515-1523, 2015.

Baynard T, Arena R, Myers J, Kaminsky L. The role of body habitus in predicting Cardiorespiratory fitness: Findings from the FRIEND registry. Int J Sports Med 37:863-869, 2016.

Arena R, Kaminsky L, Myers J. Revisting age-predicted maximal heart rate: Can it be used as a valid measure of effort?  Analysis from the FRIEND Registry. Am Heart J 173:49-56, 2016.

Kaminsky L, Tuttle M, Arena R, Myers J. Reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing using cycle ergometry:  Data from the fitness registry and the importance of exercise national database (FRIEND Registry). Mayo Clinic Proceedings 92:228-233, 2017.  

Myers J, Kaminsky L, Lima R, Christle J, Ashley E, Arena R. A reference equation for for normal standards for VO2 max: Analysis from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise Database (FRIEND Registry). Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 60:21-29, 2017.

Kaminsky LA, Tuttle M, Arena R, Myers J. Reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing using cycle ergometry:  Data from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND Registry). Mayo Clinic Proceedings 92:228-233, 2017.

Kokkinos P, Kaminsky L, Arena R, Zhang J, Myers J. New generalized equation for predicting maximal oxygen uptake from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Data Base (FRIEND). Am J Cardiol 120:688-692, 2017.

Sabbahi A, Arena R, Kaminsky L, Myers J, Phillips SA. Peak blood pressure responses during maximum cardiopulmonary exercise testing: Reference standards from the FRIEND registry. Hypertension 71:229-236, 2018.

de Souza e Silva CG, Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Christle JW, Araújo CGS, Lima RM, Ashley EA, Myers J. A reference equation for maximal aerobic power for treadmill and cycle ergometer exercise testing: Analysis from the FRIEND Registry. Eur J Preventive Cardiol 25:742-750, 2018.

Moneghetti KJ, Hock J, Kaminsky L, Arena R, Lui GK, Haddad F, Wheeler M, Froelicher V, Ashley E, Myers J, Christle JW. Applying current normative data to prognosis in heart failure: The Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Int J Cardiol 263:75-79, 2018.

Kokkinos K, Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Zhang J, Myers J. A new generalized cycle ergometry equation for predicting maximal oxygen uptake: The fitness registry and the importance of exercise national database (FRIEND). European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, Eur J Prev Cardiol 25:1077-1082, 2018.

Moneghetti KJ, Hock J, Kaminsky L, Arena R, Lui GK, Haddad F, Wheeler M, Froelicher V, Ashley E, Myers J, Christle JW. Applying current normative data to prognosis in heart failure: The Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Int J Cardiol 263:75-79; 2018.

Kaminsky L, Harber MP, Imboden MT, Arena R, Myers J. Peak ventilation reference standards from exercise testing: From the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Data Base (FRIEND Registry). Med Sci Sports Exerc 50:2603-2608, 2018.

Kaminsky LA, Myers J, Arena R. Determining cardiorespiratory fitness with precision: Compendium of findings from the FRIEND registry. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 62: 76-82, 2019.

Peterman J, Kaminsky L, Arena R, Myers J, Stensvold D, Wisloff U, Marzolini S, Takken T, Guazzi M. Global reference standards for directly measured cardiorespiratory fitness using cycle ergometry: A report from the Fitness Registry and Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 2020.

Arena R, Kaminsky LA, Harber M, Wisloff U, Stensvold D, Myers J. Peak oxygen pulse responses during maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing: Reference standards from FRIEND (Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise: An International Database). Int J Cardiol 301:180-182, 2019.

Nevill AM, Myers J, Kaminsky LA, Arena R.  Improving reference equations for normal standards for VO2 max using multiplicative allometric rather than additive linear models. Data from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database Registry. Progress in Cardiovascular Disease 62:515-521, 2019.

Vainshelboim B, Arena R, Kaminsky LA, Myers J. Normative reference standards for ventilatory threshold measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing: The Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Chest 157:1531-1537, 2020.

Peterman J, Arena R, Myers J, Marzolini S, Ross R, Lavie C, Wisloff U, Stensvold D, Kaminsky L. Development of global reference standards for directly measured cardiorespiratory fitness: A report from the Fitness Registry and Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Mayo Clin Proc 95:255-264, 2020.

Chiaranda G, Myers J, Arena R, Kaminsky L, Sassone B, Pasanisi G, Mandini S, Pizzolato M, Franchi M, Napoli N, Guerzoni F, Caruso L, Mazzoni G, Grazzi G.  Improved percent-predicted peak VO2 is associated with lower risk of hospitalization in patients with coronary heart disease. Analysis from the FRIEND registry. Int J Cardiol 310:138-144, 2020.

Sabbahi A, Arena R, Kaminsky LA, Myers J, Fernhall B, Sundeep C, Phillips SA. Characterization of the blood pressure response during cycle ergometer cardiopulmonary exercise testing in black and white men : Data from the Fitness Registry and Importance of Exercise: A National Database (FRIEND). J Hum Hypertens. Aug 31 doi: 10.1038/s41371-020-00411-5, 2020.

Kokkinos P, Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Zhang J, Franklin B, Kraus W, Triantafyllidi H, Dimitrios B, Myers J. New generalized equations for predicting maximal oxygen uptake in heart failure patients: The Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Am J Cardiol 128:7-11, 2020.

Nevill AM, Myers J, Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Myers TD. Comparing individual and population differences in VE/VCO2 slopes using centile growth curves and log-linear allomentry. Eur Respiratory Journal Open Res 7:00088-2021 2021.

Myers J, de Souza e Silva C, Arena R, Kaminsky L, Christle JW, Busque V, Ashley E, Moneghetti K. Comparison of the FRIEND and Wasserman-Hansen equations in           predicting outcomes in heart failure. J Amer Heart Assoc, in press, 2021.