How does extreme physical activity affect life expectancy?

While everyone knows that regular exercise is important for a healthy life, some previous studies have shown that intense workouts can have the opposite effect.

A new study recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that people who participate in extreme sports may live longer.

Researchers tracked a select group of elite runners who can run a mile in under 4 minutes and found that they could live an average of five years longer than the average population.

André la Guerche, Ph.D., a sports cardiologist and director of the Heart, Exercise and Research Trials (HEART) lab, supported by the St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research and the Victor Chang Heart Research Institute, and lead author of the study, explained to Medical News Today:

"There's a strong public perception that you can overdo it with exercise. We thought this was an opportunity to study a physical feat that was once thought to be impossible and would be very taxing on the body. There was an assumption that doing such feats could be detrimental to the body. So this was an opportunity to dispel that myth."

Elite Runners May Live Longer Than the Average Person

For this study, la Guerche and his team focused on the lifespan of the first 200 elite runners to run a sub-4-minute mile. The runners came from 28 different countries in North America, Europe, Oceania and Africa.

All study participants were born between 1928 and 1955 and were on average 23 years old when they ran a mile in under 4 minutes.

Of the 200 participants, 60 - or 30% - died, leaving 140 people alive at the time of the study.

Researchers found that the average age of death for study participants was 73, but the average age for surviving elite runners was 77.

At the end of the study, scientists discovered:

• Overall, those who ran a mile in under 4 minutes lived about five years longer than their life expectancy based on age, gender, year of birth and nationality.
• Those who ran a mile in under 4 minutes in the 1950s lived on average nine years longer than the average population.
• Competitors who ran a mile in under 4 minutes in the 1960s lived an average of 5.5 years longer, and about 3 years longer in the 1970s.

Results similar to those observed in elite cyclists

La Guerche said they were not surprised by these results in elite runners, as they are consistent with several other publications, such as studies of Tour de France cyclists. Where there is also a longer life expectancy.

“Our study aimed to find out how exercise affects elite athletes in the long term,” La Guerche said.

“We know that elite athletes have larger hearts due to their sustained aerobic activity, and it has been thought that this may affect their health and life expectancy, but we found the opposite. Five extra years of life compared to the average is very significant, especially when we discovered that many of these runners not only lived long, but were also healthy. They live better and longer.”

“This is one of many projects we are doing related to cardiovascular changes and exercise health,” he added. “We continue to evaluate the factors that lead to favorable results in those who exercise regularly.”

How can you live longer if you are not an elite athlete?

Of course, not everyone can run a sub-4 minute mile or be an elite athlete. So, how can you apply these results to your own exercise regimen to hopefully extend your life?

"Although we are encouraged not to extrapolate in science, I personally use this data as inspiration to try to emulate as many of the 4-minute miler's lifestyle factors as possible: good nutrition, moderate alcohol consumption, dedication and regular, intense exercise." - said la Guerche.

“While I can't necessarily share the genetic predisposition that likely also contributes to elite speed, the rest I can try to achieve.”

Jennifer Wong, MD, a board-certified cardiologist and medical director of non-invasive cardiology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, who was not involved in this study, said: "I think it highlights the importance of exercise, maybe not necessarily at this extreme level, but just any exercise that is beneficial for cardiovascular health and ultimately hopefully prolongs life in that way.".

Tracy Zaslow, MD, a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric and adult sports medicine specialist at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, California, involved in the study said more research needs to be done to determine how best to extrapolate these data.

“While I would not recommend changing practice based on this one study, it may be reassuring to know that there may not be as many risks of “overdoing it” as previously thought. I would encourage readers to take inspiration from these elite athletes to improve their fitness by seeking moderate exercise as often as possible,” Zaslow said.

More research is needed on exercise types and duration

In further discussion, Wong said she believes the study's findings make sense: this level of fitness early in life is associated with longevity.

“It's also reassuring because sometimes we hear that extreme exercise causes problems,” she continued.

“I would like to see more studies showing the correlation between exercise later in life. There is also a difference when someone continues to exercise, and this study specifically looked at a person's ability at one point in their life, but doesn't talk about what happens later or who continues to exercise. There might have been a bigger difference between people who continued to exercise later in life."

Zaslow told MNT that she found the study interesting because it contradicts many other studies that have previously shown that extreme exercise can increase the incidence of cardiovascular events and changes in structure or function hearts.

“The next steps are to do further research on other types of athletes, since this study was purely about runners,” she said. “Additionally, comparing a wider range of athletes to determine whether there is an optimal amount or intensity of exercise to better promote longevity.”