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High-Volume Physical Activity and Clinical Coronary Artery Disease Outcomes: Findings From the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.
Effects of Long-Term Endurance Exercise on Cardiac Morphology, Function, and Injury Indicators among Amateur Marathon Runners
The cardiac troponin response following physical exercise in relation to biomarker criteria for acute myocardial infarction; the North Sea Race Endurance Exercise Study (NEEDED) 2013.
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High-volume, high-intensity endurance exercise increases coronary artery plaque burden without increasing all-cause or cardiovascular mortality risk in otherwise healthy individuals.
The presence of increased coronary artery plaque in high-volume endurance athletes is not associated with a higher incidence of clinical cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction or cardiac death.
Doing light, steady exercise like walking or slow cycling can slightly improve heart health in inactive adults — lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol. Even small changes add up to lower heart disease risk over time.
High-intensity endurance exercise, when accumulated over long durations, is associated with a significantly increased prevalence of coronary artery plaque, an association not detected using self-reported exercise metrics.
Doing short bursts of intense exercise might boost heart fitness more than steady, moderate workouts for people with heart disease — on average by a small but measurable amount.
More Exercise, More Plaque?
Dr Brad Stanfield