Endurance athletes have more heart arteries blocked by plaque than healthy non-athletes—even when both groups are fit and have normal cholesterol—meaning their arteries are affected in more places.

Endurance athletes have more heart arteries affected by plaque buildup than healthy non-athletes—even when both groups have the same cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

People who train hard and regularly for endurance sports are less likely to have dangerous, unstable plaque in their heart arteries that could suddenly cause a heart attack.

Even though endurance athletes have more plaque in their heart arteries, the dangerous, rupture-prone kind is actually rarer in them than in healthy non-athletes, which might explain why they rarely have heart attacks.

Even though elite athletes have more plaque in their hearts, the type of plaque they have is harder and less likely to rupture — which might be why they live longer than you’d expect.

Men who have trained for decades as elite endurance athletes, like cyclists or marathoners, tend to have more fatty deposits in their heart arteries than healthy men who exercise moderately—even when both groups are fit and have normal cholesterol and blood pressure.