A recent review published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport compared the mortality and longevity of elite athletes with the general population.

Fourteen epidemiological studies were identified and grouped into endurance (aerobic) sports, mixed sports, and power sports.

The results showed that endurance and mixed sport athletes had lower cardiovascular disease mortality than their nonathlete counterparts but participation in power sports conferred no survival advantage.

The authors hypothesised that the enhanced survival in endurance or mixed sports is mainly due to lowered mortality from cardiovascular diseases and by comaprison former power athletes are at greater risk of becoming obese and diabetic later in life which has an adverse effect on long term survival.

It is certainly a 'long bow' to draw from one review but it seems to me that for a longer and healthier life being 'fitter' is better than being 'stronger and more powerful' - at least where cardiovascular disease is concerned.