Study Shows High Volume Exercise Unrelated to Progression of Coronary Artery Calcium
15 Mayo 2024 - 11:17AM
New research from The Cooper Institute® and partners at University
of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center, The University of Texas
at Tyler and University of Alabama at Birmingham, shows that
exercising, even at very high levels, is not related to the
progression of coronary artery calcium (CAC), a marker of
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Previous research on
physical activity and CAC, which suggested that individuals who
engage in high volume endurance training (such as marathoners and
triathletes) have more sub-clinical atherosclerosis or CAC, has
primarily relied on assessment at one point in time and was unable
to track individual changes in CAC. This new study, published in
the Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology, shows
that the progression of CAC over time is not associated with
leisure-time aerobic physical activity measured at baseline and
follow-up.
"These new insights suggest that being physically
active, even at very high levels, does not appear to accelerate
asymptomatic atherosclerosis progression, which might be good news
for exercise enthusiasts,” said Kerem Shuval, PhD, Director of
Epidemiology and Behavioral Science at The Cooper Institute and
lead author of the study.
The study, which is part of the Cooper Center
Longitudinal Study (CCLS), included 8,771 men and women who were 50
years old on average, at baseline (50.2 years for men and 51.1 for
women). Their physical activity, CAC and other clinical
measurements were determined during preventive medicine visits to
Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. Participants had at least two
clinic visits between 1998 and 2019. Analysis of the data, which
accounted for potential confounding factors, revealed that aerobic
physical activity does not appear to elevate the rate of CAC
progression.
“This study will assist health care providers who
care for elite athletes, such as marathon runners, in managing and
counseling their patients with subclinical atherosclerosis. They
can feel safe in continuing to exercise as long as there are no
symptoms or underlying issues," said Laura DeFina, MD, FACP, FAHA,
President, CEO and Chief Science Officer of The Cooper
Institute.
“This study provides important new knowledge which
will greatly assist in the care of Masters athletes and highly
active people who have high coronary calcium scores. Although
previous work from our research team showed that there was a
greater risk of having clinically significant coronary calcium in
highly active people, the present analysis is reassuring that
sustaining high levels of physical activity do not accelerate the
progression of atherosclerosis," said co-author Benjamin Levine,
MD, FACC, FAHA, FACSM, Professor of Internal Medicine at UT
Southwestern Medical Center and director of the Institute for
Exercise and Environmental Medicine, a collaboration between UT
Southwestern and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
ABOUT THE COOPER INSTITUTE
Established in 1970, The Cooper Institute is a nonprofit dedicated
to promoting life-long health and wellness worldwide through
research and education. Founded by Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, The
Cooper Institute translates the latest scientific findings into
proactive solutions that improve population health. Key areas of
focus are research and youth programs. Through these initiatives,
The Cooper Institute helps people lead better, longer lives now and
Well. Into the Future. To learn more,
visit cooperinstitute.org.
ABOUT THE COOPER CENTER LONGITUDINAL
STUDYDeveloped in 1970, the Cooper Center Longitudinal
Study is an ongoing, cohort study used to improve public health.
Owned and operated by The Cooper Institute, it contains more than
300,000 patient records and is one of the world's most extensive
studies relating fitness to overall wellbeing. The study allows The
Cooper Institute to uncover predictors of diseases such as cancer,
heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer's,
osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome and depression. To learn more,
visit cooperinstitute.org/CCLS.
ABOUT UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL
CENTERUT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier
academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research
with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s
faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 25
members of the National Academy of Sciences, 21 members of the
National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical
Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,100
is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed
to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical
treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more
than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients,
more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5
million outpatient visits a year.
Media Contact: Pam
Czerlinsky972.560.3246pczerlinsky@cooperaerobics.com