Ity. Methods The occurrence of alcohol-related diseases and deaths were followed using national registers from 1970 to 2008 among Finnish male former elite athletes (n = 2202) and matched controls (n = 1403) alive in 1970 (mean age = 45.1 yr). Hazard ratios were calculated by Cox proportional hazards model. In 1985, surviving participants questionnaire-reported their alcohol consumption and engagement in physical activity/sports. Results The risk of any alcohol-related diseases or deaths did not differ between former athletes and controls (hazard ratio = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.73–1.20, P = 0.59), although the risk was higher among both combat sports athletes and weightlifters compared with endurance sports athletes, shooters or jumpers, and hurdlers (P < 0.05). In 1985, athletes consumed more alcohol (417 g·month−1, 95% CI = 386–447) compared with controls (397 g·month−1, 95% CI = 355–441) (P < 0.05). Consumption was lower among endurance sports athletes than among controls (P < 0.05). Team sports athletes consumed more alcohol (P < 0.05), especially beer (P < 0.01), compared with other athletes and controls. Athletes no longer engaged in leisure-time sports consumed more alcohol than those who continued to be physically active (P < 0.05). Conclusions Overall, former athletes reported higher alcohol consumption than controls. There was no difference in alcohol-related morbidity, but the risk varied between different sports groups. Alcohol consumption after top sports career was greater if participation in leisure-time sports was discontinued....

Objectives: Masters athletes due to their lifelong engagement in sport represent a unique group to study motivation for regular physical activity, but there is less scientific data on the sport motives in masters athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association of age, sex, education, nationality, competitive background and training amount with sport motives of masters track and field athletes. Methods: 811 (254 women) athletes aged 35–89 years participated in European Veterans Athletics Championships in the year of 2000. Sport motives were assessed with a questionnaire and categorized into1) well-being, 2) competitive and performance 3) health and fitness motives. Results: Men considered health and fitness motives more important than women (p = 0.022). Over 65-year-old athletes considered health and fitness motives more important than the youngest, 35-49-year age group (p<0.001). Education was not associated with sport motives, while motives varied significantly among different nationalities. Athletes from Nordic Countries considered well-being motives more important than Southern Europeans (p<0.001) or Western Europeans (p<0.05). Athletes from Nordic Countries (p = 0.003), Eastern Europe (p<0.001) and Central Europe (p<0.001) found health and fitness motives more meaningful than athletes from the British Isles. Furthermore, athletes with competitive background before the age of 35 and training amount more than 7.5 h a week found competitive and performance motives more important than athletes without a competitive history (p = 0.002). Conclusions: These results suggest that age, sex, nationality and former athleticism are associated with sports motives among international level masters track and field athletes. It seems that while for masters athletes with competitive background performance motives dominate, for older adults, particularly for males, health and fitness motives are more important. In addition, when designing the exercise interventions for older adults, different sport motives across countries should be considered.

Repeated sprint training in hypoxia (RSH) represents an innovative method in the process of development and improvement of physical performance among athletes. However, there is less scientific data on this topic. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of RSH method on motor abilities and performance among athletes, obtain new information, and expand the already known conclusions. The data search was performed of 4 electronic databases for the years 2000-2021 May as follows: Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and ResearchGate. This search with English language restriction was made by using the following terms, individually/combination: "repeated sprint ability", "hypoxia", "effects", "physical performance", "VO2max" 844 studies were indentified, and 14 studies were selected (11 male studies, 1 female study, 2 both sexes). Results of this systematic review, a total sample size of 347 athletes (40 females and 307 males, aged 15.3 ± 0.5 - 35 ± 7 years), showed that RSH was an effective training method in improving all monitored variables (i.e. RSAmax, VO2max). However, it should be noted that major improvements were observed mainly in repeated sprint ability (RSA) tests, and less in aerobic tests (i.e. Wingate and Yo-Yo). In conclusion, based on current scientific studies, RSH is more effective method to improve the physical performance among athletes compared to repeated sprint training in normoxia (RSN). This study suggested that the RSH has a positive effect on the monitored variables in physical performance tests especially related to RSA.

Irisin is a myokine with a potential role in cardiometabolic diseases, but previous studies have described inconsistencies between serum irisin and physical activity (PA). Our aim was to analyze the relationship between serum irisin and leisure-time PA (LTPA) in a large sample of the general adult population, and secondarily, to evaluate its relationship with two PA-related biomarkers (HDL cholesterol and resistin). A cross-sectional study was nested in the “CDC of the Canary Islands” cohort participants (n = 3827, 18–75 years, 60% women). PA was collected by administering the Minnesota leisure-time physical activity questionnaire, and physical examination and blood tests (irisin, resistin, HDL-cholesterol) were performed. Irisin inversely correlated with BMI (p < 0.001 in women) and resistin (p = 0.038 in women, p = 0.004 in men), and directly with HDL cholesterol (p < 0.001in women). There was a direct association of irisin with leisure-time and energy expenditure in light, moderate and vigorous LTPA, which was stronger in women than men. The distribution of leisure-time and PA variables across irisin quintiles showed a significant trend, except for light LPTA in men. Adjusting for age, sex and BMI, the association of irisin with leisure-time and LTPA variables was stronger than the association of these variables with resistin and HDL cholesterol, reaching the strongest association for irisin with the 80th percentile of time of LTPA (OR = 2.57; 95% CI = 2.00–3.31). There is a direct and independent association between serum irisin levels and LTPA in the general adult population, which is stronger than other biomarkers of PA. Findings on exercise-related irisin support the possibility of irisin health benefits.

It is not known whether decrease in physical activity (PA) is associated with binge drinking among former athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reciprocal associations between PA and use of alcohol among former athletes and controls at four time points. Furthermore, we examined whether there were longitudinal latent profiles related to use of alcohol, smoking and PA during the follow‐up. Finnish male former elite athletes (n = 1633) and matched controls (n = 1099) questionnaire‐reported their PA, alcohol consumption and smoking at four time points in 1985, 1995, 2001 and 2008. Former athletes were more physically active and smoked less than controls, but in all profiles smoking decreased during the follow‐up. Former athletes consumed alcohol significantly more compared to controls in 1985, especially if their athletic career had ended suddenly by sports injury. At other time points, no differences were seen. Five latent profiles were found, and there were significant differences between former athletes and controls in the probabilities to belong to four of them. PA decreased in four of five profiles, while alcohol consumption decreased or increased in some profiles. But PA did not predict later alcohol consumption at any time point. Cross‐lagged path model indicated that the mutual associations of alcohol use and PA were weak at most. Although risk of excessive alcohol consumption may increase in individuals, whose athletic career has ended suddenly by sports injury, overall PA and alcohol affected each other's development only modestly among former athletes and controls during the 23‐year follow‐up.

The impact of a history of competitive sports on later smoking behaviour and occurrence of chronic pulmonary diseases is poorly known. We investigated how a history of elite level sports predicted later pulmonary disease morbidity and mortality. Chronic pulmonary disease incidence was assessed from national hospital and cause‐of‐death registers from 1970 to 2015 among Finnish male former elite athletes (n = 2078) and matched controls (n = 1453) alive in 1970 (mean age 45.0 years). Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated by Cox proportional hazards model. In 1985, cohort members reported on their smoking habits, engagement in physical activity/sports and physician‐diagnosed chronic diseases. The risk of any chronic pulmonary disease or death was lower among former athletes than controls (age‐adjusted HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.46–0.83). The risk was significantly lower among endurance (HR 0.54), mixed (HR 0.61), and power sports athletes (HR 0.66) compared to controls. The age‐ and smoking pack‐year‐adjusted HRs of incident diseases from the time of the 1985 questionnaire until the end of follow‐up in former athletes was 0.58 (95% CI 0.37–0.93) compared to controls. In 1985 athletes smoked less and their cumulative smoking quantity was lower than that of controls. Former athletes were more physically active and self‐reported less physician‐diagnosed emphysema. The risk of any chronic pulmonary disease was lower among former athletes than controls even after considering smoking status and cumulative smoking quantity. Ability to compete at the highest level of sports in young adulthood associated with a reduced risk of pulmonary disease in later life.