How regular exercise affects the cardiovascular system

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A good reason not to quit playing sports.

The benefits of physical activity have long been known. But according to new data, multi-year training also has a rejuvenating effect. People over 70 who have regularly played sports for decades have heart, lungs and muscles close to those of healthy people 30 years younger.

Susan Magrath, 74, is a good example. She has been running almost every day for 45 years. According to her, they tighten and give a feeling of liberation. Susan is a living proof that multi-year training improves cardiovascular and muscle health.

Magrat recently took part in a study led by sports physiologist Scott Trappe. He was one of the first to study the generation of those who trained all their lives.

The 1970s saw a boom in the popularity of running and aerobic exercise in the United States. Therefore, many people who are now over 70 have been regularly involved in sports for about 50 years. The researchers were interested to know the state of their cardiovascular system and skeletal muscles.

We have found that people who exercise regularly year after year are generally healthier than their sedentary peers. These 75-year-old men and women have a cardiovascular system similar to that found in 40- and 45-year-olds.

Scott Trapp study author

Researchers divided 70 healthy participants into three groups. The first includes those who have been involved in sports all their lives. They are on average 75 years old, and they ran and cycled on average 4-6 days a week (for a total of about 7 hours).

The second group included 75-year-old participants who did not exercise regularly, but sometimes walked or played golf. In the third - young people about 25 years old who train with the same frequency as the participants in the first group.

Cardiovascular health was assessed by maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max). This is the largest amount of oxygen that a person can consume within a minute during intense exercise.

This indicator serves as a criterion for aerobic endurance. Participants worked on a simulator bike, gradually increasing the intensity, and exhaled into a device that measures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

They also took samples of muscle tissue the size of a pea. Scientists examined capillaries that carry blood into muscles and enzymes that provide fuel for working muscles.

Although the sample of participants was small, the results suggest a significant benefit from multi-year training.

People who have exercised all their lives have a cardiovascular system that looks 30 years younger.

Scott Trapp study author

This is remarkable because the average person's ability to process oxygen decreases by about 10% every ten years after 30. This is a gradual process, almost imperceptible until you are 30 or 40. The problem becomes noticeable later: shortness of breath, difficulty in physical activity.

An age-related decline in VO2 max is directly related to an increased risk of chronic illness, death, and loss of independence. Keeping the heart and lungs healthy has been shown to reduce these risks.

Muscle research results are even more impressive. The muscles of 75-year-olds who have trained their entire lives are almost identical to those of younger participants.

David Costill, 82, professor emeritus of sports physiology, is another example of the benefits of physical activity. He has been actively training for almost 60 years. For about twenty years, he ran marathons until his knees began to bother him, and then switched to swimming.

According to him, he is physically more resilient than his friends of the same age. “When I go out with friends who are in their 80s, it seems to me that they are moving half-heartedly,” he says.

The results of this study once again highlight the importance of movement. Scientists believe that 30-60 minutes of activity a day is the key to a healthy life. And it is not necessary to run marathons or participate in cycling competitions.

“You will get measurable health benefits from walking 30-45 minutes a day,” says Trapp. "Yes, it doesn't compare to professional training, but it's better than staying on the couch."