A former career as a male elite athlete--does it protect against type 2 diabetes in later life?

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of impaired glucose regulation in male Finnish former elite athletes and age- and area-matched controls. We hypothesised that vigorous physical activity during young adulthood protects from disturbances in glucose regulation in later life.

METHODS

In 2008, 392 former male elite athletes (mean age 72.7 ± 6.1 years) and 207 controls (mean age 71.6 ± 5.6 years) participated in a clinical study (participation rate: 50.6%). The former athletes were divided into three groups based on their active career sport: endurance, mixed and power sports. Participants without a history of diabetes (n = 537) underwent a 2 h 75 g OGTT. Current volume of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was determined by self-reported questionnaires and expressed in metabolic equivalent hours (MET-h). Data on reimbursable diabetes medication from participants and non-participants was obtained from the register of the Finnish Social Insurance Institution.

RESULTS

Compared with the controls, the former elite athletes had a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53, 0.98). The risk of type 2 diabetes decreased with increased LTPA volume (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97, 0.99 per 1 MET-h/week). The former elite athletes also had a significantly lower risk of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) than the controls (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.38, 0.87).

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: A former career as an elite athlete protected from both type 2 diabetes and IGT in later life. In addition, the volume of current LTPA was inversely associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes.