The heart of the ageing endurance athlete: the role of chronic coronary stress
Why the study?
The long-term effects of endurance exercise on the heart are unknown, with emerging studies raising concern that lifelong intense exercise may impose chronic coronary stress.
Does lifelong intense endurance exercise increase the risk of chronic coronary stress and subclinical myocardial damage in male athletes over 40 compared to sedentary controls?
Design
Review article
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
May warrant caution interpreting CAC in lifelong male athletes >40; leaves open causality and need for outcome trials.
Structured PICO
Does lifelong intense endurance exercise increase the risk of chronic coronary stress and subclinical myocardial damage in male athletes over 40 compared to sedentary controls?
P
Population
Lifelong male endurance athletes aged above 40 years old
I
Intervention
Lifelong intense endurance exercise (10- to 20-fold greater than guideline recommendations)
C
Comparator
Relatively sedentary healthy controls
While moderate exercise is beneficial, lifelong intense endurance exercise in men over 40 may be associated with increased coronary artery calcium, plaque burden, and myocardial fibrosis, suggesting a potential for chronic coronary stress.
Cite This Study
Parry‐Williams et al. (2021) studied this question.