A 33-yr follow-up of peak oxygen uptake and related variables of former physical education students

Per-Olof Åstrand, Ulf Bergh, and Åsa Kilbom Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, S-11486 Stockholm; National Defence Research Establishment, S-172 90 Sundbyberg; and National Institute for Working Life, S-171-84 Solna, Sweden Received 30 September 1996; accepted in final form 6 February 1997. Åstrand, Per-Olof, Ulf Bergh, and Åsa Kilbom. A 33-yr follow-up of peak oxygen uptake and related variables of former physical education students. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(6): 1844-1852, 1997. In 1949, 27 female and 26 male physical education students were studied at a mean age of 22 and 25 yr, respectively. They were restudied in 1970 and 1982. Measurements included oxygen uptake, heart rate, and pulmonary ventilation during submaximal and maximal exercise on a cycle ergometer and treadmill. After 21 yr, peak aerobic power was significantly reduced, from 2.90 to 2.18 l/min and from 4.09 to 3.28 l/min for women and men, respectively. After another 12 yr, the 1970 maxima were not reduced further. From 1949 to 1982 there was a decrease in peak heart rate from 196 to 177 beats/min in women and from 190 to 175 beats/min in men ( P