Cardiopulmonary and Cardiovascular Physiology in Elderly Competitive Endurance Athletes.

Thirteen elderly male high intensity endurance athletes and 12 healthy age matched nonathletes were evaluated to determine differences in their cardiovascular physiology. Contrary to several pervious reports, this study did not demonstrate superiority of left ventricular (LV) systolic or diastolic function in athletes compared with controls, either at rest or immediately following exercise. Fasting serum lipids failed to demonstrate a favorable cholesterol profile in the athletes compared to inactive controls.