Elite athletes live five years longer than general public, study finds

Elite athletes live for an extra five years compared with the rest of the population, according to new research.

A study by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) – based on records from competitors at the Commonwealth Games since 1930 – found significant variation in the longevity of medal winners compared to the general population born in the same year.

For men, longevity was boosted by 29 per cent in aquatics, 25 per cent for track and 24 per cent for indoor sport compared with the median age of death of a member of the public.

This translates to between 4.5 and 5.3 extra years of life, researchers said.

Across all sports categories, women’s longevity was boosted by 22 per cent, equating to 3.9 extra years of life.

The study also found that the longevity of long-distance runners is marginally higher than for those who run shorter distances.

Cycling was the only sport not associated with longer lives, with the longevity of male competitors just 90 per cent that of the general male population.

Professor Les Mayhew, Associate Head of Global Research at ILC and Professor of Statistics at Bayes Business School, said: “We’ve long known that playing sport has a variety of health benefits, but our research shows what a significant impact top-level sport can have on the longevity of the world’s athletes.

“As people watch the efforts of the London marathon runners with awe, perhaps they might reflect that many of those crossing the finish line could expect to add years to their lives. Although you can’t generally participate at the highest level throughout your life, the benefits evidently stay with you long after you hang up your trainers or your swimming goggles!”

Sharron Davies, British Swimmer, Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist, said: “I think professional athletes create exercise habits that most of them maintain to a degree throughout their lives. That certainly applies to me.” 

Brian Whittle, a European athletics championships medallist and now an MSP, said: “I learned behaviour traits such as discipline, resilience, confidence and aspiration during my years as an athlete. There’s a huge connect between physical health and mental health.”