WEBVTT - Which Athletes Live the Longest?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum. Here you might hear it. In the gym,

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<v Speaker 1>a burly weightlifter mutters that they could bench three of

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<v Speaker 1>the guys on the treadmills. A guy on a treadmill

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<v Speaker 1>snickers that the weightlifter could never catch him. A soccer

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<v Speaker 1>player says that thinking on your feed and anticipating where

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<v Speaker 1>the ball will go takes much more skill than just

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<v Speaker 1>doing the same thing over and over, and that she's

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<v Speaker 1>the most agile person in the room. Athletics demands self discipline,

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<v Speaker 1>and each sport develops different skills and strengths and the

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<v Speaker 1>people who play them, And of course getting some kind

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<v Speaker 1>of exercise is important for our health. But are all

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<v Speaker 1>sports created equal when it comes to health benefits? And

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<v Speaker 1>are some sports better at keeping the grim reaper at bay?

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<v Speaker 1>One of the most significant scientific studies focused on this

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<v Speaker 1>question came out of Scandinavia back in the nineteen nineties.

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<v Speaker 1>Researchers divided two thousand, six hundred and thirteen male finish

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<v Speaker 1>elite athletes in three groups. Endurance athletes like long distance

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<v Speaker 1>runners and cross country skiers, Power athletes like boxers, wrestlers,

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<v Speaker 1>and weightlifters, and then a mixed group of sprinters and

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<v Speaker 1>team athletes like soccer, ice hockey, or basketball players. The

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<v Speaker 1>researchers then compared those athletes to oney seven hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>twelve finished men who were not competitive athletes. The power

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<v Speaker 1>athletes group lived an average of one point six years

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<v Speaker 1>longer than the non athletes. Team athletes lived four years longer,

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<v Speaker 1>and endurance athletes lived five point seven years longer. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>consider what sets endurance sports apart. In another study, researchers

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<v Speaker 1>looked at lifespan and VO two max, which is the

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<v Speaker 1>maximum volume of oxygen that your body can take in

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<v Speaker 1>during exercise. Sports requiring a high VO two max make

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<v Speaker 1>you breed the hardest, such as running or biking, as

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<v Speaker 1>your body tries to get precious oxygen to your muscles.

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<v Speaker 1>The study showed that elite athletes had a lower chance

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<v Speaker 1>of dying at a given age the non athletes, but

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<v Speaker 1>how much lower depended on their VO two max. Indurance

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<v Speaker 1>athletes had a forty three percent lower chance of dying

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<v Speaker 1>at a given age than non athletes. Team athletes had

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<v Speaker 1>thirty three percent less risk, while power athletes whose sports

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<v Speaker 1>don't require a high VO two max only had ten

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<v Speaker 1>percent less risk than non athletes. These studies don't cover

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<v Speaker 1>every angle, though. The scientists gathered information about the cause

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<v Speaker 1>of death and age of each participant, but they didn't

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<v Speaker 1>consider what the participants had done after they stopped competing

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<v Speaker 1>in sports. Competitive athletes are generally young. The average age

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<v Speaker 1>of NFL players is just twenty seven. Studies have shown

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<v Speaker 1>that staying active throughout your entire life is a very

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<v Speaker 1>big deal when it comes to your health. So the

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<v Speaker 1>Dungeons and Dragons nerd who takes up running after college

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<v Speaker 1>and keeps at it will probably live longer than the

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<v Speaker 1>high school football hero who hangs up his cleets and

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<v Speaker 1>hits the recliner once his glory days are over. Not

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<v Speaker 1>that all D and D nerds are out of shape,

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<v Speaker 1>saying and don't count team sports and resistance training out either.

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<v Speaker 1>They may not boost longevity quite as much as endurance sports,

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<v Speaker 1>but they are an important part of the picture. Team

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<v Speaker 1>sports can teach us about discipline, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. Resistance

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<v Speaker 1>training helps reduce injuries and the muscle wasting that can

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<v Speaker 1>happen with aging, which reduces strength, coordination, and quality of life.

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<v Speaker 1>During a person's golden years. Resistance training also strengthens bones

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<v Speaker 1>for a healthy life. Varying your workout will help keep

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<v Speaker 1>you from getting bored and let you tap into the

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<v Speaker 1>unique benefits of different types of exercise. However, some sports

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<v Speaker 1>can actually present a threat to longevity. A sports injuries

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<v Speaker 1>can require major treatment and lead to lifelong pain for

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<v Speaker 1>some athletes. For example, repetitive motion injuries are a serious

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<v Speaker 1>risk in some sports and can have life changing consequences.

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<v Speaker 1>The scientists in England found that professional soccer players are

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<v Speaker 1>ten times more likely to develop arthritis in the hip

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<v Speaker 1>than the general public. Surprisingly, most of the players who

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<v Speaker 1>developed arthritis didn't realize that they were injuring their hips.

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<v Speaker 1>The arthritis was caused by repetitive motion. Many professional soccer

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<v Speaker 1>players require total hip replacements in their thirties or forties,

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<v Speaker 1>which is much younger than most hyperplacement patients in the

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<v Speaker 1>general population, which covers around the age of sixty five.

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<v Speaker 1>Another significant danger in some sports is traumatic brain injury,

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<v Speaker 1>which can be disabling or even life threatening, even if

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<v Speaker 1>the person is wearing a helmet. Even mild concussions can

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<v Speaker 1>cause memory problems, confusion, depression, and personality changes. And medical

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<v Speaker 1>experts still don't know the long term effects of repeated

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<v Speaker 1>mild concussions. The college football players with the history of

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<v Speaker 1>three or more concussions are three times more likely to

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<v Speaker 1>experience another concussion than their teammates, so repeated concussions are

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<v Speaker 1>a concern for football players. Besides injuries, some athletes do

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<v Speaker 1>things to their bodies that can cause more harm than good,

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<v Speaker 1>such as using performance enhancing drugs or trying to gain

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<v Speaker 1>their weight upper don too quickly or too much. All

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<v Speaker 1>sports have their own benefits and risks. It's important to

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<v Speaker 1>play safely, try cross training, and reap the benefits of

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<v Speaker 1>different kinds of exercise. If old injuries limit your options,

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<v Speaker 1>take up a low impact sport like swimming or biking.

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<v Speaker 1>The key is to make exercise a regular part of

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<v Speaker 1>your life, all of it for a longer and healthier one.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article Which Athletes lived

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<v Speaker 1>Longest on how stuffworks dot Com, written by Melissa Sandoval.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with

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<v Speaker 1>how stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang.

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<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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