The study doesn’t say anything about their life long exercise habits only what they were doing at the time of the study. We don’t know what they’ve done through each decade of their life. Have they always been highly active, and in what sports, or just something more recent?
The exercise is also based on a questionnaire and then some assumptions based on those answers. The paper states things such as vigorous meaning cycling when cycling may or may not be vigorous.
It’s also has a bias selection in terms of recruiting age group world record holders. Who is to say individuals of the same age who are equally active do or don’t also have the same gene expression going on? What does gene expression look like for those moderately active?
I like this chart, which shows functional capacity as you age, orange for sedentary and blue if you stay active. The aim to stay above the disability threshold your entire life. Extend your healthy years as well as your life span through life long exercise.
