Abstract
The health benefits of leisure-time physical activity are well known, however the
effects of engaging in competitive sports on health are uncertain. This literature
review examines mortality and longevity of elite athletes and attempts to understand
the association between long-term vigorous exercise training and survival rates. Fourteen
articles of epidemiological studies were identified and classified by type of sport.
Life expectancy, standardised mortality ratio, standardised proportionate mortality
ratio, mortality rate, and mortality odds ratio for all causes of death were used
to analyse mortality and longevity of elite athletes. It appears that elite endurance
(aerobic) athletes and mixed-sports (aerobic and anaerobic) athletes survive longer
than the general population, as indicated by lower mortality and higher longevity.
Lower cardiovascular disease mortality is likely the primary reason for their better
survival rates. On the other hand, there are inconsistent results among studies of
power (anaerobic) athletes. When elite athletes engaging in various sports are analysed
together, their mortality is lower than that of the general population. In conclusion,
long-term vigorous exercise training is associated with increased survival rates of
specific groups of athletes.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 30, 2009
Accepted:
April 30,
2009
Received in revised form:
April 3,
2009
Received:
October 21,
2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
