Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
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.
Quantitative
Two types of roundworms—Linstowinema and Labiobulura—are found in almost every bandicoot studied, making them the most common worms in this animal group, no matter which species it is.
Descriptive
The northern brown bandicoot has the most types of worms of all the bandicoots studied, and only one worm type is shared with the other two species, meaning they mostly have their own unique worms even if they live near each other.
The bandicoot with the biggest territory has the most types of worms, the one with the smallest territory has the fewest, suggesting that how far a host animal travels might affect how many different worms it picks up.
Correlational
Even though only three golden bandicoots were checked, they had the same two types of worms found in other bandicoots, hinting that these worms are a common feature of all bandicoots, no matter where they live.
Two similar-looking Australian bandicoots have very different worms in their guts—one has mostly two types of worms that almost all individuals carry, while the other has many more types of worms, with only two types in common.
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.
Even if super-active athletes have more plaque, the amount of calcium in each spot, how big it is, and where it’s located doesn’t get worse the more they’ve exercised.
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.
Even though super-active athletes have more plaque in their heart arteries, the plaque they have is harder and less dangerous-looking than the softer, riskier kind seen in less active people.
Men who have exercised very intensely and for many years are more likely to have calcium deposits and plaque in their heart arteries than those who exercised less, even though they tend to live longer.
People who exercise a ton tend to have more calcium in their heart arteries than couch potatoes—but surprisingly, they don’t have more heart attacks. The calcium buildup doesn’t mean they’re at higher risk.
If you have calcium in your heart arteries, you’re at higher risk for a heart attack—even if you’re a marathon runner. Exercise doesn’t make that calcium harmless.
People who exercise a lot—like marathon runners—live longer than those who don’t, even though they don’t have fewer heart attacks. Exercise helps you live longer, but not necessarily by preventing heart attacks alone.
Even if someone is a super-athlete, having calcium buildup in their heart arteries still means they’re at higher risk for a heart attack—exercise doesn’t cancel out this danger.
People who exercise moderately—like jogging or cycling a few hours a week—have the lowest risk of heart attacks, but those who exercise way more than that don’t get any extra protection against heart events.
Women who train for marathons for decades don’t seem to get more heart artery plaque or heart scarring than women who don’t exercise much—unlike men, where this happens.
Some lifelong endurance athletes have scar tissue in their heart muscle—like from a silent heart attack—even though they never had chest pain, and none of the sedentary men in the study had this.
The longer a man has trained for marathons, the more likely he is to have serious artery blockages—even if he’s otherwise healthy, with no high cholesterol or blood pressure.
The plaque buildup in endurance athletes is mostly hard, chalky calcium, while in non-athletes it’s softer and greasier—this might make athlete plaques less likely to suddenly break and cause heart attacks.
Men who have trained for decades in marathons and endurance sports are more likely to have calcium deposits in their heart arteries than men who don't exercise much—even if they're otherwise healthy and have no heart disease risk factors.
Even after accounting for things like cholesterol and blood pressure, the more hours someone spends training over the year, the more likely they are to have plaque in their heart arteries.
Athletes who train the most, especially with high intensity, are more likely to have heavy calcium buildup in their heart arteries, which is a sign of advanced artery disease.
Just doing short, intense workouts isn’t linked to more heart plaque—what matters more is how many total hours you spend training over time.