Do Super Athletes Get Clogged Arteries?
Coronary atherosclerotic burden in veteran athletes: The relationship between cardiovascular risk and volume of exercise.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some older male athletes who train a lot have plaque in their heart arteries, but it depends on their health risks.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some older male athletes who train a lot have plaque in their heart arteries, but it depends on their health risks.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 529 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Certo Pereira J, Santos R, Moscoso Costa F, Monge J, de Araújo Gonçalves P, Dores H
Related Content
Claims (4)
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.
About 1 in 4 older male athletes who train regularly have significant plaque buildup in their heart arteries, even if they feel fine and have no symptoms.
Older male athletes who have high heart disease risk and train a lot are much more likely to have serious plaque buildup in their heart arteries than those who train just as much but have lower heart risk.
For older male athletes who are otherwise low-risk for heart disease, doing a lot of exercise may help reduce plaque buildup in their heart arteries.