Engaging in Extreme Sports Does Not Decrease Life Expectancy

Athletes who push themselves to the limit may actually be increasing their longevity, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study found that the first 200 athletes to run a mile in under four minutes actually outlived the general population by nearly five years on average. This challenges the popular belief that extreme exercise could shorten life expectancy.

Lead researcher Mark Haykowsky, from the University of Alberta in Canada, stated, “Our findings challenge the notion that extreme endurance exercise may be detrimental to longevity, reinforcing the benefits of exercise even at training levels required for elite performance.”

The study, which marks the 70th anniversary of the first sub-four-minute mile, looked at athletes who achieved this milestone between 1954 and 1974. They were born between 1928 and 1955 and were, on average, 23 years old when they broke the record.

Of the 200 athletes studied, 60 had passed away while 140 were still alive at the time of analysis. The study found that those who broke the four-minute mile in the 1950s lived an average of nine years longer than the general population, while those in the 1960s lived five and a half years longer, and those in the 1970s lived nearly three years longer.

The researchers suggested that advancements in healthcare and overall improvements in longevity for everyone could explain the declining life expectancy advantage of these extreme athletes. However, they also noted that the benefits of endurance exercise, along with healthy lifestyle and genetics, could play a significant role in their longer lifespan compared to the general public.