Do marathon runners get more heart plaque?
Prevalence of Subclinical Coronary Artery Disease in Masters Endurance Athletes With a Low Atherosclerotic Risk Profile
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Male athletes had 11.3% with CAC ≥300 (very high calcium score), while sedentary controls had 0%.
Everyone assumes athletes have 'clean' arteries. This study proves that even in low-risk men, decades of endurance training can lead to extreme calcification—something never seen in non-exercisers.
Practical Takeaways
Men who’ve trained for 20+ years in endurance sports should consider a coronary calcium scan after 50—even if they feel fine.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Male athletes had 11.3% with CAC ≥300 (very high calcium score), while sedentary controls had 0%.
Everyone assumes athletes have 'clean' arteries. This study proves that even in low-risk men, decades of endurance training can lead to extreme calcification—something never seen in non-exercisers.
Practical Takeaways
Men who’ve trained for 20+ years in endurance sports should consider a coronary calcium scan after 50—even if they feel fine.
Publication
Journal
Circulation
Year
2017
Authors
A. Merghani, Viviana Maestrini, S. Rosmini, A. Cox, H. Dhutia, Rachel Bastiaenan, S. David, T. Yeo, R. Narain, A. Malhotra, M. Papadakis, Mathew G. Wilson, M. Tome, K. Alfakih, J. Moon, Sanjay Sharma
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Claims (4)
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.
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.
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.
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.