Sport, even intensive, is good for health

Professional athletes would benefit from increased longevity compared to the rest of the population.

Contrary to popular belief, sports high dose does not affect health. That at least is the message several amazing Inserm researchers gathered Thursday at a press conference.

An effort high dose, frequency or intensity, even associated with better physical and mental health. "Among professional athletes, amateur athletes as in frequent, being constantly pushing the limits is associated with a gain in quality and durability, despite the risk of sudden death and accidents related to the activity, "said Thursday Pr Jean-François Toussaint, director of the Institute for Biomedical Research and Sports Epidemiology (IRMES). Two studies of IRMES devoted to professional athletes who will soon be published in this direction.

In the first study, with all former riders of the Tour de France came in the top ten since 1903, life expectancy athletes is higher than in the general population. In the second study, echoing the 3430 French athletes who participated in the Olympic Games since 1896, the researchers observed a halving of mortality.

A study by Inserm centered on the performance of marathon runners in New York over the past thirty years, also shows that intense physical activity is entirely consistent with age. "The participation of competitors from more than 40 years experienced strong growth, and their performance continue to improve, observed Romuald Lepers, author of the study and researcher at Inserm. For the first time, a centenarian even finished the marathon in less than 10 hours. All this shows that the level does not stress the heart. "

More effort is common, the greater the benefit will be great

The question is whether these very favorable results are transferable to the population. Indeed, the natural predispositions (genetic) and the lifestyle of athletes make special cases.

"We now know that this is true for young champions of cycling or tennis is also good for others," says Jean-François Toussaint. Everything suggests that more effort is common, the greater the benefit will be great, although scientists are still looking for the precise dosage, and that beyond a certain amount of effort varies among individuals, the excess could be harmful.

The Board remains minimal to have a moderate activity: 30 minutes five times per week or intense activity three times a week for 20 minutes. Beyond that, it seems that there is what scientists call a dose / effect relationship, that is to say, the more you do sports and the benefits are great.

Because physical activity helps fight against the phenomena associated with age, in particular the aging of the body that can occur, for example, by a decrease in respiratory capacity or muscle strength. It is also common to reduce its activity over the years, although some seniors are more active than younger people. In all cases, activity programs can increase lung capacity and muscle from 20 to 30%.

The effort is also beneficial to the cardiovascular level. Regular exercise allows the heart muscle to have a stronger, fitter. In addition, efforts contribute to the development of the microcirculation, these small blood vessels that can, if necessary, act as an escape route for blood oxygenation and heart in cases of myocardial infarction (fat clogged artery ).

The cardiovascular benefits of physical activity is also very fast, because the changes were observed as early as three months of training. Still remember the sedentary recovery sports when no longer done for many years requires a visit to a cardiologist.
Finally, it is important to find an activity that we do with pleasure. This is the only condition to persevere in his efforts