The Golden Paradox
Mortality Trends Across Three Eras of Bodybuilding (1900-1990)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51224/SRXIV.513Keywords:
bodybuilding, Performance Enhancing Drugs, Steroids, History, MortalityAbstract
Recent mortality trends in professional bodybuilding have raised concerns about athlete longevity, yet historical perspectives on this phenomenon remain understudied. This investigation presents the first comprehensive analysis of bodybuilding mortality across three distinct eras: Bronze (1900-1930), Silver (1930-1960), and Golden (1960-1990). Analyzing data from 120 elite male athletes, we document a striking reversal in the sport's relationship with longevity. Early practitioners demonstrated remarkable durability, with Bronze (74.8 ± 13.5 years) and Silver era (80.2 ± 12.9 years) athletes significantly outliving their contemporaries. However, Golden era athletes exhibited dramatically reduced lifespans (68.6 ± 15.5 years, p<0.0005 compared to Silver era), coinciding with the emergence of performance enhancement protocols and extreme physique standards. This precipitous decline in longevity challenges assumptions about historical training methodologies and suggests that contemporary bodybuilding's high mortality rates reflect specific modern practices rather than inherent risks. These findings have profound implications for current athletic standards, training protocols, and public health policies, particularly given bodybuilding's increasing influence on mainstream fitness culture and rising recreational performance enhancement use.
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