Do marathon runners get more heart plaque?
Lifelong endurance exercise and its relation with coronary atherosclerosis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Lifelong athletes had 2.8 times more non-calcified proximal plaque than non-athletes—yet fewer vulnerable plaques.
Non-calcified plaques are usually the 'time bombs' that rupture and cause heart attacks. Finding more of them in athletes but fewer dangerous features is like finding more gasoline but no matches.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re a lifelong endurance athlete, get a coronary CT angiogram—not just a CAC scan—to see plaque type, not just calcium.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Lifelong athletes had 2.8 times more non-calcified proximal plaque than non-athletes—yet fewer vulnerable plaques.
Non-calcified plaques are usually the 'time bombs' that rupture and cause heart attacks. Finding more of them in athletes but fewer dangerous features is like finding more gasoline but no matches.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re a lifelong endurance athlete, get a coronary CT angiogram—not just a CAC scan—to see plaque type, not just calcium.
Publication
Journal
European Heart Journal
Year
2023
Authors
R. De Bosscher, C. Dausin, P. Claus, J. Bogaert, S. Dymarkowski, K. Goetschalckx, O. Ghekiere, C. M. Van de Heyning, P. V. Van Herck, B. Paelinck, H. El Addouli, A. La Gerche, L. Herbots, R. Willems, H. Heidbuchel, G. Claessen
Related Content
Claims (9)
Even though endurance athletes have more fatty deposits in the main heart arteries—especially the soft, unstable kind—they don’t have the dangerous features that usually make plaques burst and cause heart attacks.
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.
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.
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.
Even though athletes are super fit, their heart plaques aren’t more stable or ‘safer’ than those of healthy non-athletes—so being an elite athlete doesn’t make plaque less dangerous.