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(Circulation. 1972;46:649.)
© 1972 American Heart Association, Inc.

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Longevity and Cardiovascular Mortality among Former College Athletes

ANTHONY P. POLEDNAK PH.D.¹

¹ From the Department of Nutrition, Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.

Among 681 former Harvard College athletes (lettermen), longevity and cardiovascular mortality differed not by type of sport but by extent of participation. Relative to one-letter and two-letter athletes, men with three or more letters died slightly earlier from natural causes, and significantly more often and slightly earlier from cardiovascular diseases and (specifically) coronary heart disease. The three-or-more-letter athletes differed in physique, being significantly more mesomorphic (muscular, bony) than the other two groups. Further analysis suggested that physique did not account for these differences; other possible explanations were discussed.

Key Words: Coronary artery disease • Exercise • Epidemiology • Somatotype

Submitted on January 10, 1972
Accepted on April 18, 1972