For older male athletes who work out really hard—like sprinting or intense cycling—doing more of this super intense exercise over time seems to be linked to more calcium building up in their heart arteries, which could be a sign of plaque growth.

31

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

31

Community contributions welcome

31

Exercise Volume Versus Intensity and the Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged and Older Athletes: Findings From the MARC-2 Study

Cohort Study

Human

2023 Mar 28

This study found that older male athletes who do the hardest, most intense workouts (like sprinting or heavy training) had more calcium buildup in their heart arteries over time, which matches the claim that extreme exercise may worsen artery hardening.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Exercise Volume Versus Intensity and the Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged and Older Athletes: Findings From the MARC-2 Study

Score: 31

DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.061173

Similar Assertions

For older male athletes who exercise a lot, doing very hard workouts (like sprinting or intense cycling) seems to be linked to more calcium buildup in the heart arteries over time, while moderate hard workouts might not have the same effect.

31

0

95%

For older male athletes, doing a lot of hard but not extreme exercise—like fast running or cycling—seems to be linked to less calcium buildup in heart arteries over time, compared to doing super intense workouts.

31

0

95%

For older male athletes, doing hard but not extreme workouts (like steady running or cycling) seems to be linked to less calcium buildup in heart arteries over time, compared to doing ultra-intense workouts.

31

0

95%

Doing very hard exercise — like sprinting or intense cycling — is linked to more calcium buildup and plaque in the heart arteries, even if the total amount of exercise is the same as someone who exercises less intensely.

46

0

89%

For older male athletes, how much they exercise overall doesn’t seem to affect whether their heart arteries get more calcium buildup over time—it’s more about how hard they push during workouts.

31

0

85%