title: Lifelong physical training prevents the age-related impairment of heart rate variability and exercise capacity in elderly people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aging is associated with a reduction on heart rate variability (HRV) and working capacity. Aim of this study was to evaluate in a group of elite master athletes the effect of a lifelong history of endurance running on HRV and exercise working capacity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty athletes (males, age 68.5+/-4.5 years) who practiced endurance running for at least 40 years, and 20 age-sex-matched control subjects with sedentary lifestyle were studied. All the participants underwent a maximal stepwise electrocardiogram (ECG) on effort (work-rate increments of 25 Watts every 2 min) and a 24-hour ECG monitoring.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the time domain measures of HRV and the LF and HF powers were significantly higher in elderly athletes than in sedentary subjects (P<0.001), while the LF/HF ratio was comparable between the 2 groups. Athletes exhibited significantly higher workload than controls (1610+/-489 vs 687+/-236 W, P<0.0001). Both the groups achieved, at maximum workload, similar heart rate (142+/-10 vs 138+/-18 bpm, ns), systolic blood pressure (226+/-18 vs 220+/-16 mmHg, ns), and rate-pressure product (32,596+/-2952 vs 30,838+/-3675, ns). Maximum work-rate attained in athletes was 225 W. By contrast, none of the controls reached a work-rate higher than 150 W. In the whole group we also showed a positive correlation between the time domain HRV parameter SDNN and maximum workload (r=0.58, P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term endurance training induces in elderly subjects an increased HRV and a higher exercise working capacity, which are well-established predictors of cardiovascular and overall mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. fgaletta@med.unipi.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galetta
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Franzoni
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Femia
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roccella
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pentimone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santoro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*