Elite athletes can rapidly fall out of shape

Without enough exercise, even those impossible bodies on display at the Olympics are in danger of rapidly morphing into the shape of a couch potato, a study of endurance athletes shows. Researchers in France found that among 20 highly trained rowers, those who stopped training saw their weight, fat mass and cholesterol levels reach that of the average sedentary person within a year. Given the athletes’ very low body fat during training, it’s not surprising that these changes happened quickly, the study’s lead author, Dr Cyril Petibois, told Reuters Health. However, increases in fat mass, cholesterol and triglycerides another blood-fat-carrying molecule should stabilize after a few months, according to Petibois, a researcher at the University of Bordeaux. Athletes in this study did not show such a stabilization, but instead had continuing alterations in body fat and blood fats during their year of “detraining.” The concern is that, without enough exercise, these athletes will face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the future, according to Petibois. He said the results highlight the importance of slowly cutting back on training at the end of a sports career. “This information is very important in the post-Olympic period since it signifies the end of (sports careers) for a generation of athletes,” the researcher noted. He said retiring Olympians should continue training for the next year at levels of at least 25 percent of previous training levels. reuters

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