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- Title
Lifelong endurance exercise and its relation with coronary atherosclerosis.
- Authors
Bosscher, Ruben De; Dausin, Christophe; Claus, Piet; Bogaert, Jan; Dymarkowski, Steven; Goetschalckx, Kaatje; Ghekiere, Olivier; Heyning, Caroline M Van De; Herck, Paul Van; Paelinck, Bernard; Addouli, Haroun El; Gerche, André La; Herbots, Lieven; Willems, Rik; Heidbuchel, Hein; Claessen, Guido; Claeys, Mathias; Hespel, Peter; Dresselaers, Tom; Miljoen, Hielko
- Abstract
Aims The impact of long-term endurance sport participation (on top of a healthy lifestyle) on coronary atherosclerosis and acute cardiac events remains controversial. Methods and results The Master@Heart study is a well-balanced prospective observational cohort study. Overall, 191 lifelong master endurance athletes, 191 late-onset athletes (endurance sports initiation after 30 years of age), and 176 healthy non-athletes, all male with a low cardiovascular risk profile, were included. Peak oxygen uptake quantified fitness. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of coronary plaques (calcified, mixed, and non-calcified) on computed tomography coronary angiography. Analyses were corrected for multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The median age was 55 (50–60) years in all groups. Lifelong and late-onset athletes had higher peak oxygen uptake than non-athletes [159 (143–177) vs. 155 (138–169) vs. 122 (108–138) % predicted]. Lifelong endurance sports was associated with having ≥1 coronary plaque [odds ratio (OR) 1.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–2.94], ≥ 1 proximal plaque (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.24–3.11), ≥ 1 calcified plaques (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.01–2.49), ≥ 1 calcified proximal plaque (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.28–3.35), ≥ 1 non-calcified plaque (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.12–3.40), ≥ 1 non-calcified proximal plaque (OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.39–5.65), and ≥1 mixed plaque (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.06–2.99) as compared to a healthy non-athletic lifestyle. Conclusion Lifelong endurance sport participation is not associated with a more favourable coronary plaque composition compared to a healthy lifestyle. Lifelong endurance athletes had more coronary plaques, including more non-calcified plaques in proximal segments, than fit and healthy individuals with a similarly low cardiovascular risk profile. Longitudinal research is needed to reconcile these findings with the risk of cardiovascular events at the higher end of the endurance exercise spectrum.
- Subjects
ENDURANCE athletes; MALE athletes; CORONARY artery disease; SPORTS participation; ENDURANCE sports; CORONARY angiography; CARDIOVASCULAR diseases risk factors
- Publication
European Heart Journal, 2023, Vol 44, Issue 26, p2388
- ISSN
0195-668X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/eurheartj/ehad152