Ten-year mortality among older male recreational endurance athletes in the Birkebeiner Aging Study in comparison with older men from the Tromsø Study

Abstract

Background Physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced mortality. However, whether there is an added benefit of long-term endurance training is unclear. Thus, we aimed to examine 10-year mortality in older male endurance athletes compared with an older male general population.

Method Male athletes (n = 503) participating in an annual long-distance ski race (median years of participation: 14, range: 1–53) from the Norwegian Birkebeiner Aging study (BiAS), and non-athletic men (n = 1867) attending the sixth Tromsø Study (Tromsø6) aged ≥65 years were included. Associations with endurance sport practice and joint exposures of endurance sport practice and self-reported leisure-time PA with all-cause mortality were examined. We analyzed the data with Cox proportional hazard models and regression standardization.

Results After 10 years (median: 10.4, range: 0.5–11.1) the mortality rate was lower in athletes (hazard ratio (HR) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.24–0.49) compared with non-athletes, corresponding to a 15% (95% CI: 12–19%) absolute risk reduction associated with endurance sport practice. In joint analyses categorized according to PA and endurance sport practice, we observed an inverse dose–response relationship with mortality (p < 0.001). Compared to inactive non-athletes, PA was associated with lower mortality in both active non-athletes and athletes. However, the observed benefit among participants reporting moderate-to-vigorous PA was larger in athletes (HR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.14–0.32) than non-athletes (HR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31–0.59) (p < 0.01).

Conclusion Endurance sport practice was associated with reduced 10-year mortality, beyond the effect of PA in older men. This study suggests that long-term endurance sport practice maintained into older adulthood promotes longevity.