The Science of Longevity: Life Expectancy in Sport, Building Muscle as You Age, and HMB for Masters Atheltes

Welcome to my weekly summary of the latest research from the world of sports science!

These three studies explore what it really takes to stay strong and healthy as we age—from how different sports influence lifespan, to why muscle becomes harder to build as you age, and whether adding HMB can meaningfully improve the effects of strength training in older adults—read on.

 

Your Sport Affects Your Life Expectancy

This massive observational study looked at 95,000+ international athletes to see how different sports affect lifespan. Men in mixed and endurance-based disciplines—like pole vaulting, tennis, and long-distance running—lived up to eight years longer than their national averages. On the other hand, athletes in high-impact or extreme-weight sports such as sumo, volleyball, and martial arts showed shorter average lifespans. 

Researchers suggest that sports combining aerobic and strength components offer the best long-term health balance, especially for men. The benefits were smaller in women, likely reflecting historical gender disparities in both sport participation and data availability.

My thoughts: Fascinating data—and it makes sense. Some sports keep your heart and muscles healthy without wearing you down. Others? Less so. I’d bet the sports with the best longevity profiles also support lower inflammation and better recovery over a lifetime. 

Why Muscle Gets Harder to Build as You Age

This review explains why older adults—even lifelong athletes—struggle to build muscle as effectively as younger people. While early studies suggested older adults had lower muscle protein synthesis at rest, more recent research shows the real issue is that older individuals see reduced ability of aging muscle to respond to stimuli that normally promote growth, like protein intake and resistance training due to changes in muscle signalling, insulin sensitivity, inflammation. This is anabolic resistance, and it means higher protein doses and greater training volume or intensity to produce the same anabolic response as younger adults. Increasing protein intake and adding supplements with anabolic potential—such as essential amino acids, leucine, HMB, or omega-3s—can help support muscle growth and training adaptations in aging athletes.

My thoughts: We all know strength declines with age, but this review explains why. It’s not just that we “slow down”—our muscles literally become less responsive to the signals that drive growth. For aging athletes looking to counter some of the physiological changes you’re seeing, getting enough high-quality protein and using supplements that support anabolism, including products like Blonyx HMB Sport can help.

HMB Improves Strength Training in Older Adults

This systematic review examined whether adding HMB supplementation to a resistance-training program benefits older adults beyond training alone. Studies involved 2–3 weekly resistance-training sessions over 6–24 weeks and had participants taking 3 g/day of calcium HMB. Participants taking HMB saw modest but meaningful improvements in physical function even though HMB did not reliably increase muscle mass, muscle quality, fat mass, or body weight. That means the benefits appear to come from functional improvements—how well muscles perform—rather than changes in body composition.

My thoughts: HMB research has recently focused on the aging athlete. This is great news as athletic longevity is only going to explode over the next few decades. Live-long athletes like me want to keep going until the wheels fall off. The ability for HMB to add a functional boost—without needing to change training volume—is promising, and it's one reason I’ve long believed supplements like Blonyx HMB+ Creatine can play a valuable role in staying strong as we age.