Association of cardiorespiratory fitness level with vascular function and subclinical atherosclerosis in the elderly.

PURPOSE: Physical exercise is crucial for healthy aging and plays a decisive role in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). A higher level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in the elderly is associated with lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. This study investigated the association of CRF level with vascular function and cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly. METHODS: We examined 79 apparently healthy and physically active subjects aged > 55 years (64 ± 4 years). Cardiovascular functional parameters assessed included brachial and central blood pressure (BP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (Aix), and ankle-brachial index. Sonography of the common carotid artery was performed. CRF level was determined by a cardiopulmonary exercise test, and everyday activity was quantified with an accelerometer. RESULTS: All participants had a higher CRF level than the reported age-specific normative values. Twenty-nine subjects had subclinical atherosclerosis of the common carotid artery. Compared with participants without atherosclerosis, they were older (p = 0.007), displayed higher brachial systolic BP (p = 0.006), and higher central systolic BP (p = 0.014). Lower brachial (p = 0.036) and central (p = 0.003) systolic BP, lower PWV (p = 0.004), lower Aix (p < 0.001), lower body fat percentage (< 0.001), and lower LDL cholesterol (p = 0.005) were associated with a higher CRF level. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of healthy and physically active individuals, subjects with subclinical atherosclerosis displayed higher systolic brachial and central BP. A higher CRF level was associated with enhanced vascular function, consistent with an influence of CRF on both BP and vascular function in the elderly.

Cardiovascular screening of elderly athletes.

The permanently growing interest in amateur and professional sports activities among young, middle-aged and elderly athletes raises serious concerns about athletes' health, the safety of physical training, and the sports-related risk of sudden cardiac death and other cardiovascular complications during exercise. In recent years there has been an increasing number of cases of sudden cardiac death during physical effort. At present, life expectancy in the most developed countries grows rapidly and the number of people >65 years dramatically increases. Moreover, biological age of the population is lower. Subsequently, relevant increase in the number of elderly athletes involved in various types of sports activities has been reported in many countries. It was also demonstrated that physical activity has strong beneficial effect on cognitive functions, psychomotor performance and thus exercise capacity, which is very important for the elderly people in their everyday routine activities. Nonetheless, it should be remembered that participation in amateur and professional sports activities may be associated with risk of serious cardiovascular events in the elderly athletes often suffering from various civilization diseases. It is also reported that the number of elderly people after interventional cardiology procedures, open heart surgery and cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy), who wish to participate in various sports activities, systematically grows. The authors of the paper conduct a literature review on cardiovascular risk assessment in the elderly athletes including the contemporary cardiology diagnostic methods and diagnostic schemes to prevent sudden cardiac death and other cardiovascular events during exercise. The controversies over efficacy of particular diagnostic tools to detect cardiovascular diseases in the elderly athletes and worldwide epidemiologic data concerning risk of sudden cardiac death during physical exercise have been also presented. Here, the authors have derived suggestions for establishment of comprehensive diagnostic schemes to prevent sudden cardiac death during sports activities. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2024;75(3):233-241.

Sub 3-Hour Marathon Runners for Five Consecutive Decades Demonstrate a Reduced Age-Related Decline in Performance.

Estimation of the age-related decline in athletic performance by analyzing age-group world record performances presents an inherent limitation because the records generally belong to different individuals. Longitudinal studies describing the changes in performance with advancing age for the same individuals with a consistent training regimen are more appropriate to determine age-related changes in performance. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the age-related decline in running performance of sub 3-h marathoners for five consecutive calendar decades. The best marathon performances for each decade from the 1970s to the 2010s were analyzed for 40 sub 3-h runners (39 males and 1 female). The cohort mean personal best performance was 2 h 23 min ± 9 min at an age of 28.6 ± 4.7 years. The mean difference in age between the first and the last sub 3-h marathon races was 32.9 ± 1.6 years. The time difference in marathon performance between the personal best and the worst performance during the 5th decade was 26 ± 9 min, corresponding to a mean increase of 1 min 4 s per year, i.e., a decrease in running speed of 0.67 ± 0.29% per year. These results suggest that with consistent training and racing regimens, it is possible to limit the age-related decline in marathon performance to less than 7% per decade at least until 60 years of age. Further studies are required to verify if such a low rate of age-related decline in endurance performance could be maintained after 60 years of age.

What Model of Nutrition Can Be Recommended to People Ending Their Professional Sports Career? An Analysis of the Mediterranean Diet and the CRON Diet in the Context of Former Athletes.

Athletes who retire from their sporting career face an increase in body weight, leading to overweight or obesity. Simultaneously, a significant number of these athletes meet the criteria of metabolic syndrome. The available literature does not offer clearly defined standards of nutrition for the discussed group of people. In this situation, it seems advisable to develop different standards of dietary behavior typical of athletes finishing their sports careers. For this purpose, the study analyzed two types of diets: the Mediterranean diet and the Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition (CRON) diet based on significant calorie restrictions. Both diets seem to meet the requirements of this group of people.