Blood, sweat and years — a look at genes, exercise and longevity
Study comparing health of elite athletes and siblings reinforces need to stay active
Is regular exercise an insurance policy against an early death? Or is longevity more the result of good genes rather than an active lifestyle?
The debate between nature and nurture is ongoing, but a 2017 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine comparing the health and mortality of 900 former elite athletes and their brothers sheds new light on the power of exercise and healthy habits to add years to life.
Several studies have reported that athletes — for endurance and team sports in particular — live longer than their sedentary peers. Less clear is whether that longevity is related to the same good genes that contributed to their athletic success or to a commitment to maintaining the healthy habits developed while competing and training. Hence the interest in comparing the health and longevity of athletes and siblings who share much of the same genetic makeup and upbringing.
The athletes in the study — all male and who represented Finland in international competition between 1920 and 1965 — and their brothers were followed from the start of their competitive career until December 2015. Information on health, lifestyle, height, weight, frequency, intensity and duration of physical activity, cigarette and alcohol use were collected, as were details related to any deaths among both sets of subjects.
The results, garnered over an average of 52 years, showed some similarities, but also some key differences.
When it comes to the number of deaths that occurred over the five-plus decades the brothers were followed, there was little distinction between the athletes (649) and their siblings (647). Natural causes was the most common reason for death (92 per cent), with heart disease the most specific killer, afflicting 219 athletes compared to 199 brothers.
The number of deaths isn’t considered significant. Advancing age ultimately results in death, even among the fittest. What’s of interest is which, if any, brother lived a longer or healthier life. The athletes outlived their siblings by about three years. The median age of death among athletes was 75.9 years versus 73 for the brothers. The endurance athletes lived the longest (79.9 years), followed by team sport athletes (75.9) and the power athletes (72.2).
As for the lifestyle of the siblings, some trends are worth noting. Despite very little difference in the body size and shape between brothers, the athletes were significantly more active than their brothers. Not only did they exercise more, the athletes also worked out at a higher intensity and spent less time sitting than their siblings.
Also, the athletes were more inclined to classify themselves as being in good health, though there was very little difference in the incidence of chronic disease (high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease) between brothers. And while limitations to mobility were also similar, the athletes reported more sports injuries. Age-adjusted heart rate was another differentiating feature, with the athletes typically having a lower heart rate, a sign of good cardiovascular fitness, than their siblings.
What do the findings mean? Well, it’s good news for former athletes, especially those who competed in endurance sports like running and cycling. Turns out their commitment to exercise pays off not just with a couple of extra years of life, but those years are spent in relative good health. While some of that longevity is likely linked to the same genes that contribute to an athlete’s success in sport, it’s also clear that most former athletes continue to exercise more than their peers.
That said, the study’s authors noted that the brothers of the athletes were more physically active and participated in more vigorous exercise than the general population, which suggests families, and perhaps genetics, play a role in creating a lifelong love of physical activity.
While pondering what this means for you, keep in that mind that this large sample of athletes and their brothers includes men only. The results might not be the same among female athletes. Since the sample of athletes includes mostly those competing in Olympic-type sports versus pro sports like hockey, football, baseball and basketball, which field a very different type of athlete and lifestyle, studies among these populations might not deliver the same type of results.
As for all you non-athletes out there who come from a family who spent more time around the house than on the playing field, there’s still plenty of time to reap the benefits of regular exercise. Study after study has proven that committing to regular exercise, no matter your age or athletic ability and history, can add years to your life and life to your years. So while you can’t choose your parents or be guaranteed the genes of a world-class athlete, there’s nothing stopping you from getting moving.