Cardiovascular epidemiology, exercise, and health: 40-year followup of the U.S. Navy's "1000 aviators"

The interrelationship of aging, performance, and stress modification has been the subject of investigations in the U.S. Navy. Beginning in 1940, a study of 1,056 student and instructor pilots lowered previously high attrition rates in training by emphasizing both physical and psychological screening. After World War II, when 208 pilots in the group died, followup studies of the survivors were conducted in 1951, 1957, 1963, 1969-71, 1977, and 1980-81. In February 1981, 715 questionnaires were mailed to known survivors, with 500 replies subsequently analyzed. Additionally, 114 of the respondents who had previously been examined during 1969, were again examined in 1980-81; those individuals were markedly different in their lifestyle, particularly in exercising regularly, abstaining from cigarette smoking, and drinking alcoholic beverages moderately, as contrasted to 28 aviators also examined in 1969 who died in the interim. Healthy lifestyle may alter cardiovascular risk, preventing premature death.