The Older Athlete

There are far too many examples of older athletes performing well to suggest that there is a definite time to put away the athletic shoes. The World Masters Athletics Association lists many athletes who are still competing above 60 years of age in virtually every athletic discipline including steeplechase, pole vault, marathon, and the 10,000-meter run. The world-record holder for the men's outdoor 100 meters in the 100-year-old group is Philip Rabinowitz from Russia, with a time of 30.86 seconds, and Ron Taylor from Great Britain holds the record for 60-year-olds, an impressive 11.70 seconds! Older female athletes also excel. In 1994 Yekaterina Podkopayeva (Russia) won the world indoor 1,500 meters at the age of 42 with a time of 3:59:78. At the age of 80, Johanna Luther from Germany ran the 10,000 meters in an impressive time of 58:40:03. Clearly, being older does not make stopping exercise mandatory. Nevertheless, the aging process does bring with it certain undeniable changes that should be addressed to ensure that exercise remains a healthful activity. Of particular concern are the age-related changes in body composition and the impact this has on resting energy expenditure; the lowered capacity to quickly recover from intensive or long bouts of exercise; a gradually diminishing bone mass; subtle changes in GI tract function that could influence nutrient absorption; and the possibility of a progressively lower heat tolerance.^32,33

The issue of increased risk of heat stress in older athletes should be seriously considered because the result of heat exhaustion and heatstroke is often death. During periods of high heat and humidity, those most likely to become seriously ill or die are the elderly. Although the elderly population should not be confused with the older athlete population, even if they are in the same age group, there may be an age-related drop in the capacity to dissipate heat regardless of fitness level.³⁴

An important factor in sweat production and cooling capacity is the ability to increase blood flow to the skin. Blood flow to the skin in older, fit athletes is lower than in younger athletes.^35,36 In addition, the lower blood flow associated with increasing age appears to be independent of hydration state. It also appears that, although sweat-gland recruitment is similar to that of younger athletes, older athletes produce less sweat per gland.³⁷ There is a wide genetically based variability in sweat production, but these studies suggest that older athletes should be vigilant about following a regular fluid-consumption schedule while exercising to optimize their capacity to produce sweat. Older athletes and their exercise partners should be cognizant of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke. They should also be aware that most heat exhaustion occurs before heat acclimatization. Therefore, normal exercise intensities and durations should be reduced for the first few days in a new environment until the athlete has adapted.

As athletes age, they produce less sweat per gland. A systematic hydration schedule enables older athletes to compensate for less sweat production.

Bone density becomes progressively lower with age, and females experience a faster drop in bone density after menopause when they lose the bone-protective action of estrogen. This is one of the primary reasons why it is so important to achieve a high bone density by young adulthood so that, even with a progressive loss of density later on, there will be sufficient density to avoid reaching the fracture threshold in older age. The rate of change in bone density can be altered through an adequate intake of calcium, periodic and regular exposure to the sun for vitamin D, and regular stress on the skeleton through weight-bearing exercise. In addition, women may choose to take, through the advice of their doctors, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). ERT may be particularly useful when there is a family history of osteoporosis or a woman has been diagnosed with low bone density. Certain cortisone-based drugs taken for the control of pain or osteoarthritis appear to be catabolic to bone, so regular use of these drugs would place the older athlete at increased risk of low bone density. The fact that older athletes continually stress the skeleton through regular physical activity is a major protective factor in keeping bone density elevated.

It would be expected that older athletes experience some degree of progressive GI dysfunction and changes in nutrient requirements, although no athlete-specific studies confirm that this, indeed, occurs. The typical effects of age on the GI tract include reduced motility; decreased absorption of dietary calcium, vitamin B₆, and vitamin B₁₂; and greater requirement for fluid and fiber to counteract reduced GI motility. The absorption of iron and zinc may also be a concern.³⁸ Energy expenditure decreases approximately 10 calories each year for men and 7 calories each year for women after the age of 20. However, fit individuals who maintain their lean body (muscle) mass are typically able to sustain energy metabolism. It is unclear, therefore, how or if the typical reduction in energy metabolism affects older athletes.

Changes in immune function should also be considered, but regular long-term exercise appears to attenuate the changes in the immune system that are typically associated with aging.³⁹ Vitamin and mineral supplementation is common among older athletes, often in an attempt to boost the immune system. There is little evidence that this is a useful strategy, but if the supplements target nutrients that aren'twell absorbed, they may be warranted. Rather than guess, however, older athletes should consult with their doctors to determine the best strategy for delivering needed nutrients. In some cases, as in the case of vitamin B₁₂, a periodic injection may be the only strategy that reduces the risk of pernicious anemia. Taking oral supplements of vitamin B₁₂ simply does not work. Good protein status is an important component of a stable immune function, but there is no evidence that protein intake should in any way be increased beyond the normal values established for athletes (~ 1.5 grams per kilogram per day). On the contrary, aging often brings with it a reduction in kidney function, so reducing the amount of nitrogenous waste by lowering protein intake may be warranted. A good strategy would be to consume less protein but of higher quality to reduce the amount of nitrogenous waste produced.

General Recommendations for Older Athletes