24. June 2022
From 29 June to 10 July 2022, the World Masters Athletics, the world athletics championships for master athletes, will be held in Tampere, Finland. Over 4,000 athletes in the age range from 35 to over 100 have already registered to compete in over 30 disciplines and many will take part in the TaFMAC study conducted by the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine. The study is a continuation of the MAFS2018 study that Professor Dr Jörn Rittweger's team conducted in Málaga, Spain, in 2018. In Tampere, the DLR team will conduct tests on all volunteers at 15 test stations to determine whether and how regular exercise improves cardiovascular health and metabolism and thereby also influences the ageing process. The data collected will be pooled with further test results over the next ten years so that the physical performance of the athletes can be compared with non-athletes and conclusions drawn for the effect of regular sport in old age.
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Study participants undergo up to 15 different examinations and measurements. In addition to a bio-impedance analysis of body composition and blood tests, there are questionnaires on sporting activity, health and socio-economic status. There is a jump test and tests on gait speed, grip strength and measurements to assess physical health. There will also be a resting ECG and heart ultrasound, as well as a resting turnover measurement of the body's calorie consumption. To determine endurance capacity, a VO2max test is taken and there are various cognition fitness tests. Since 2001, scientists at the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine have used European and World Championships of senior track and field athletes to collect data sets to study age-related health, as there are few studies on this level of performance. What triggers muscle atrophy in old age, or even how much sport is necessary to compensate for the effects of old age, has not yet been sufficiently studied, says Prof. Jörn Rittweger.
Further information: DLR - Institute of Aerospace Medicine - TaFMAC-Study https://wmatampere2022.com/ HOME - World Masters Athletics (world-masters-athletics.com)