The Study
How fast do we age? Exercise performance over time as a biomarker.
This study looks at how fast older athletes get slower in sports like running and swimming as they age. It shows a pattern that performance drops by about 0.5% each year after age 35, but it doesn't prove why this happens or if it's true for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at how fast older athletes get slower in sports like running, rowing, and swimming. They wanted to see how the body changes with age when people stay very fit.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 520 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, this shows that even when people stay very healthy and active, their bodies still slow down at a steady rate as they age.
- 2Athletes get about 0.5% slower every year after age 35.
- 3This was true for running, rowing, and swimming.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
Year
1996
Authors
W. Bortz, W. Bortz
Related Content
Claims (4)
When top athletes get older, their performance drops at about the same rate in running, rowing, and swimming — which suggests their body systems all slow down together, not one faster than the rest.
After age 35, people get slightly worse at endurance sports each year—and that slowdown matches how much their lung and heart fitness drops. This suggests that losing aerobic fitness might be a big reason why endurance fades with age.
If you're a top athlete over 35, your performance tends to drop by about half a percent each year — and this slow decline might be due to how our bodies naturally age, no matter the sport.
Your body's VO2 levels are the best way to measure how well you're performing during exercise.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.