Average Lifespan: Athletes vs. The General Population

Being an athlete can bring great advantages in life. One big advantage is increased lifespan. Physical

activity performed at a moderate intensity, meaning 50 to 70 percent of their personal maximal heart rate, over the course of a lifetime is proven to be associated with the reduced risk of several causes of death in the general population. This includes but is not limited to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity.

In a study conducted by Bungumb & Teramotoa (2009), they examined the lifespan of professional athletes from 4 different categories: endurance, power, mixed sports, and all sports athletes. Endurance athletes were mainly skiers and long distance runners. Power athletes were comprised of baseball, football, soccer, and rugby players. Finally the mixed-sports athletes were hockey, basketball, and track & field athletes.

Via http://citysportsblog.com

The endurance athletes lived an average of 5.7 years longer. Power athletes had a mortality rate of 12.9% compared to 3.1% among the age-matched general male population. Mixed-sports saw an average of 4.0 years of extra life when compared to the general population as shown on the chart on page 413(Bungumb & Teramotoa, 2009).

While we were not given specific number of years in reference to the exact age of the general population, we do know that the general population, as defined by this study, is a population of people who lived in the same general area and endured the same conditions of the environment as the athletes that were studied.

In comparison to elite athletes, it has been found that “adults gain most of these health benefits when they do the equivalent of at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity (2 hours and 30 minutes) each week” according to guidelines found at www.health.gov.

In conclusion, the elite endurance athletes and mixed-sports athletes seem to live longer than the general population due to their lower cardiovascular disease death rate. Therefore, long-term vigorous exercise training is associated with increased survival rates of these athletes (Pg. 414 Bungumb & Teramotoa, 2009).

Bungumb, T., & Teramotoa, M. (2009). Mortality and longevity of elite athletes. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2010(13), 410-416. Retrieved from http://sma.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Mortalityandlongevityofeliteathletesarticle.pdf