Power of lower extremities and age were the main determinants on the agility test for adults in a cohort of men aged 66-91 years

Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between agility and personal factors, muscle strength and power, mobility, self-reported balance and physical activity among older men. Methods: Agility was measured by using the Agility Test for Adults (ATA). We studied 100 Finnish male former elite athletes (endurance n = 50; power n = 50) and 50 matched controls aged 66 to 91 years (mean age 75.5 years). The associations between agility and other variables were similar between three groups; thus, multiple linear regression analyses were done by using the pooled data of the participants. Results: On the basis of multiple linear regression analyses, combination of age (p = .02), self-reported Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC scale), jumping height (p = .001) and self-rated health explained 26% of the variance in execution time of ATA (R-2 = 0.26; p = .000002) among elderly men. Conclusion: Power of lower extremities and age were the main determinants of the results of ATA in a cohort of men aged 66-91 years. From a clinical point of view, power of lower extremities measured by test demanding explosive power plays an important role to maintain or enhance capacity of agility.Peer reviewe

Leisure Time Physical Activity and Sleep Predict Mortality in Men Irrespective of Background in Competitive Sports

Introduction: Physical activity and sleep are closely related behaviors with suggested synergistic influence on cardiovascular health. Physical activity potentially modifies associations between sleep and mortality. Our aim was to study the interrelationships between sleep, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), a history of sports, and mortality.Methods: A prospective cohort of former elite male athletes (n = 1,028), and age- and region-matched nonathlete men (n = 610) completed a health questionnaire in 1985. Their mortality was followed up until December 31, 2011. Analyses included Cox proportional hazards models with sleep duration and sleep quality as main predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.Results: Sleep duration or sleep quality were not independently associated with mortality after controlling for socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. The interaction between sleep duration and LTPA was significant, with higher risk of all-cause and CVD mortality if sleeping 6 hours or less and not achieving 450 metabolic equivalent minutes LTPA weekly, as compared with sleeping 6.5–8.5 hours and achieving 450 metabolic equivalent minutes of LTPA. Also, the relative excess risk due to interaction between short sleep and low LTPA was significant for CVD mortality.Discussion: Significant interactions between sleep duration and LTPA with regard to mortality were observed. In particular, short sleep and low LTPA jointly predicted all-cause and CVD mortality irrespective of a history of sports. Findings suggest important synergistic associations of short sleep and low LTPA with CVD mortality risk.</p

Tutkimusraadit parantavat tutkimuksen laatua - kokemuksia HUSista

Puheenvuoro.Peer reviewe

Leisure Time Physical Activity and Sleep Predict Mortality in Men Irrespective of Background in Competitive Sports

Introduction: Physical activity and sleep are closely related behaviors with suggested synergistic influence on cardiovascular health. Physical activity potentially modifies associations between sleep and mortality. Our aim was to study the interrelationships between sleep, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), a history of sports, and mortality. Methods: A prospective cohort of former elite male athletes (n = 1,028), and age- and region-matched nonathlete men (n = 610) completed a health questionnaire in 1985. Their mortality was followed up until December 31, 2011. Analyses included Cox proportional hazards models with sleep duration and sleep quality as main predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Results: Sleep duration or sleep quality were not independently associated with mortality after controlling for socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. The interaction between sleep duration and LTPA was significant, with higher risk of all-cause and CVD mortality if sleeping 6 hours or less and not achieving 450 metabolic equivalent minutes LTPA weekly, as compared with sleeping 6.5–8.5 hours and achieving 450 metabolic equivalent minutes of LTPA. Also, the relative excess risk due to interaction between short sleep and low LTPA was significant for CVD mortality. Discussion: Significant interactions between sleep duration and LTPA with regard to mortality were observed. In particular, short sleep and low LTPA jointly predicted all-cause and CVD mortality irrespective of a history of sports. Findings suggest important synergistic associations of short sleep and low LTPA with CVD mortality risk.peerReviewe

Effect of Intensive Exercise in Early Adult Life on Telomere Length in Later Life in Men

A career as an elite-class male athlete seems to improve meta-bolic heath in later life and is also associated with longer life expectancy. Telomere length is a biomarker of biological cellu-lar ageing and could thus predict morbidity and mortality. The main aim of this study was to assess the association between vigorous elite-class physical activity during young adulthood on later life leukocyte telomere length (LTL). The study partici-pants consist of former male Finnish elite athletes (n = 392) and their age-matched controls (n = 207). Relative telomere length was determined from peripheral blood leukocytes by quantita-tive real-time polymerase chain reaction. Volume of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was self-reported and expressed in metabolic equivalent hours. No significant difference in mean age-adjusted LTL in late life (p = 0.845) was observed when comparing former male elite athletes and their age-matched controls. Current volume of LTPA had no marked influence on mean age-adjusted LTL (p for trend 0.788). LTL was inversely associated with age (p = 0.004).Our study findings suggest that a former elite athlete career is not associated with LTL later in life.peerReviewe

Effect of Intensive Exercise in Early Adult Life on Telomere Length in Later Life in Men

A career as an elite-class male athlete seems to improve metabolic heath in later life and is also associated with longer life expectancy. Telomere length is a biomarker of biological cellular ageing and could thus predict morbidity and mortality. The main aim of this study was to assess the association between vigorous elite-class physical activity during young adulthood on later life leukocyte telomere length (LTL). The study participants consist of former male Finnish elite athletes (n = 392) and their age-matched controls (n = 207). Relative telomere length was determined from peripheral blood leukocytes by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Volume of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was self-reported and expressed in metabolic equivalent hours. No significant difference in mean age-adjusted LTL in late life (p = 0.845) was observed when comparing former male elite athletes and their age-matched controls. Current volume of LTPA had no marked influence on mean age-adjusted LTL (p for trend 0.788). LTL was inversely associated with age (p = 0.004).Our study findings suggest that a former elite athlete career is not associated with LTL later in life