The Life-Changing Benefits of Improving Your VO2 Max

Imagine your body as a battery that charges every time you breathe in: Some people have ones that recharge quickly, letting them keep up with daily activities like walking the dog or vacuuming the house without running low on energy. Others have batteries that run down faster, leaving them winded and wiped out after the same tasks.

That’s where your VO2 max (or VO₂ max for the clinically accurate term) — a concept that’s all the rage right now — comes in. Think of it as a measure of how efficient your body is at converting oxygen into energy for all the things you need and love to do. The higher your VO2 max, the better you’ll be at staying energized, strong, and resilient — especially as you age.

This buzzy metric isn’t just for athletes or health nuts. It’s a key indicator of cardiovascular health and longevity, and it’s something you can improve over time. By making small adjustments to your routine, from stepping up the effort in your workout class, to boosting nutrient support from cocoa flavanols, you can increase your VO2 max and enhance your endurance, heart health, and overall longevity.

What is VO2 max and why does it matter?

“VO2 max is essentially a measure of your cardiorespiratory fitness, the capacity of your body’s circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen and muscles during physical activity,” explains Max Lugavere, longevity expert and author of the bestselling book Genius Foods. “A higher VO2 max means that your body can do more work using oxygen as fuel. Practically, this translates to greater endurance for a range of everyday activities — climbing stairs, carrying groceries, keeping up with active kids.” (If you want to get technical about it, the average VO2 max for a sedentary female is 27-30 mL/kg/min — which stands for milliliters per minute per kilogram — and for an active female, that range is 33-36.9 mL/kg/min).

A higher VO2 max also means your heart, lungs, and muscles are better equipped to work together to keep you moving without getting worn out. “It’s like having a more efficient engine,” says Lugavere. This capacity becomes particularly important as we age, since VO2 max naturally declines over time. “The good news is that you don’t have to join a CrossFit class or go to extremes to improve it,” says Lugavere. “You can boost your VO2 max by gradually increasing the intensity of activities you’re already doing.”

Simple ways to improve your VO2 max

You might think that only high-intensity athletes have a high VO2 max, but that’s not the case. By slightly pushing the pace or effort in your daily movement, you can slowly improve your VO2 max over time.

“You can try walking faster during parts of your walk, adding hills or stairs, or incorporating short bursts of effort like sprints,” suggests Lugavere. “If you like biking, try speeding up for a minute or two during your ride.”

These incremental increases in effort, sometimes called “progressive overload,” encourage your body to adapt and become more efficient over time, explains Lugavere. The goal is to push yourself within your own limits, which will still offer meaningful improvements in VO2 max. “What challenges me might be very different from what challenges someone else,” says Lugavere, “and that’s the beauty of it — it’s all relative.”

Why VO2 max impacts longevity

Beyond helping you show off in an exercise class, VO2 max is also linked to a longer, healthier life. “VO2 max is a general measure of cardiovascular health, and better cardiovascular health translates to a longer lifespan,” explains Dr. Javier Ottaviani, director of the Mars Food and Nutrition Core Laboratory. “Evidence shows that increasing one’s VO2 max by just one metabolic equivalent can meaningfully improve heart health outcomes by 10 to 25 percent.” (A metabolic equivalent refers to a unit that measures the amount of oxygen your body uses while sitting quietly, such as during rest.) Small improvements can have significant effects on long-term health, helping heart health challenges and age-related issues.

How cocoa flavanols can boost VO2 max

Another innovative way to support your VO2 max is by consuming cocoa flavanols — nutrients found in cocoa that help improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles. Research suggests that cocoa flavanols can improve VO2 max by enhancing nitric oxide functions in the arteries, and helping to retain healthy blood pressure levels and overall heart health. “Our research on cocoa flavanols demonstrated that they can have beneficial effects at multiple points in the oxygen-delivery process,” says Dr. Ottaviani. “For example, cocoa flavanols help with perfusion — the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to cells, tissues, and organs.”

To make cocoa flavanol intake easy and consistent, CocoaVia offers a convenient supplement that’s formulated to provide health benefits without the sugar and fat of regular chocolate. “Daily intake of cocoa flavanols is a practical step anyone can take to support cardiovascular health and improve endurance,” says Lugavere. Studies have shown that consuming cocoa flavanols can improve VO2 max by up to 12 percent, and a recent study published in Food and Function found that adults over 55 who consumed 500 mg of cocoa flavanols twice daily improved their VO2 max after just 30 days. Including cocoa flavanols in your daily routine could be a powerful addition to an active lifestyle, helping you feel more invigorated and resilient as you age.

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The information provided on this site isn’t intended as medical advice, and shouldn’t replace professional medical treatment. Consult your doctor with any serious health concerns. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Max Lugavere is a paid partner of CocoaVia.

*This offer is valid until December 31, 2025, on any single, bulk, or subscription order of CocoaVia products sold at cocoavia.com; Limited to one use per email.