Can Regular Sports Participation Slow the Aging Process? Data on Masters Athletes

In brief: Even moderate sports participation is associated with enhanced functional capacity, according to data collected on 554 men and 202 women who underwent maximal exercise testing during the 1985 World Masters Games in Toronto. Their training was modest relative to elite competitors. Nevertheless, their peak power output during cycle ergometry and peak oxygen intake were above the norm for nonathletes of the same age, resembling the values of sedentary 25-year-olds. Such gains have major implications for maintaining independence in the later years of life. Thus encouraging older people to increase their physical activity would seem an important public health measure.