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Pulmonary function in young and older athletes and untrained men
J M Hagberg1, J E Yerg, D R Seals
1Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|July 1, 1988
Summary
Endurance training may preserve lung function in older adults. Prolonged strenuous exercise in older athletes maintained lung volumes and pulmonary function, counteracting age-related decline.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Physiology
- Exercise Science
- Gerontology
Background:
- Aging is associated with a decline in lung volumes and pulmonary function.
- The impact of lifelong endurance training on age-related pulmonary changes is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of prolonged strenuous endurance training on age-associated changes in lung volumes and pulmonary function.
- To compare pulmonary variables in older endurance-trained athletes with age-matched sedentary controls, young athletes, and young untrained men.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of lung volumes and pulmonary function tests (e.g., vital capacity, total lung capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, maximal voluntary ventilation, residual volume) across four groups: older athletes, older sedentary men, young athletes, and young untrained men.
- Measurements were analyzed as absolute values and normalized for age and height.
Main Results:
- Older athletes and sedentary individuals had similar absolute pulmonary function values.
- When normalized for age and height, older athletes showed significantly larger vital capacity, total lung capacity (TLC), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s compared to older sedentary men.
- Older men, regardless of training status, exhibited higher residual volume (RV) and RV-to-TLC ratio, and lower other pulmonary function measures compared to younger men. Older athletes' measures were greater than expected for their age and height, except for RV.
Conclusions:
- Lifelong strenuous endurance training appears to attenuate the age-related decline in lung volumes and pulmonary function.
- Pulmonary function preservation in older endurance athletes suggests a protective effect of sustained high-level physical activity against aging-related respiratory changes.