Have you ever wondered if elite athletes live longer lives than less fit individuals?
A recently reported study looked at whether professional cyclists lived longer than non-athletes.
The study found French cyclists who had participated in the Tour de France between 1947-2012 lived longer than their same-age French counterparts.
The study was considering the possible negative effects of excessive high-level exercise and also the effects of performance enhancing techniques/substances. Given the revelations in the sport of cycling in the last year, this is particularly relevant, although hopefully not to most of the readers of this newsletter.
The study assessed 786 French cyclists who participated at least once in the Tour de France between 1947 and 2012, and compared them to the general French male population of the same age.
The cyclists had participated in a median of 2.5 Tour de France races and were followed for a median of 37.4 years. Their median age at the first race was 25 years.
A standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated based on the actual death rate of the cyclists compared to the death rate in the age-matched French population.
The study found that of the 786 cyclists, 208 (26%) had died by September 01, 2012, a mortality rate 41% lower than the general population.
Although the results are reassuring for people who exercise a lot and at high intensity, since no death had been observed since 1990, we have to remain careful since we cannot directly assess the potential harmfulness of doping through the analyses and results.
Whether the elite athletes live longer than people who were active but not elite is not reported. My bet is that it is not whether you are an elite athlete so much as you stay active and maintain an healthy metabolism.
Athletes who stop being active once they retire, lose the protective benefits. But if they maintain some level of activity their risk stays low.
Even if you haven't been an elite athlete, maintaining a level of fitness that sustains a healthy metabolism reduces your all-cause mortality risk by half.
So get on a bike and ride yourself to a longer and healthier life.
Article Author: David Beard, Calico Exercise Physiologist & Healthy Aging Expert
