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The effects of endurance exercise on the heart: panacea or poison?

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 17, pages 402–412 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Regular aerobic physical exercise of moderate intensity is undeniably associated with improved health and increased longevity, with some studies suggesting that more is better. Endurance athletes exceed the usual recommendations for exercise by 15-fold to 20-fold. The need to sustain a large cardiac output for prolonged periods is associated with a 10–20% increase in left and right ventricular size and a substantial increase in left ventricular mass. A large proportion of endurance athletes have raised levels of cardiac biomarkers (troponins and B-type natriuretic peptide) and cardiac dysfunction for 24–48 h after events, but what is the relevance of these findings? In the longer term, some endurance athletes have an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease, myocardial fibrosis and arrhythmias. The inherent association between these ‘maladaptations’ and sudden cardiac death in the general population raises the question of whether endurance exercise could be detrimental for some individuals. However, despite speculation that these abnormalities confer an increased risk of future adverse events, elite endurance athletes have an increased life expectancy compared with the general population.

Key points

  • Regular, moderate, aerobic physical exercise reduces cardiovascular and all-cause morbidity and mortality.

  • Endurance exercise imposes huge demands on the cardiovascular system and, therefore, endurance athletes develop profound adaptations to exercise.

  • Sinus bradycardia, large QRS voltages, modest increases in left and right ventricular cavity size and high peak oxygen consumption are well-recognized features of an endurance athlete’s heart.

  • Some lifelong endurance athletes have an increased prevalence of high coronary artery calcium scores, myocardial fibrosis, right ventricular dysfunction, atrial fibrillation and sinus node disease compared with healthy non-athletes, with unknown consequences.

  • Long-term outcome data and information from studies identifying the concurrent factors that predispose healthy endurance athletes to developing these abnormalities are needed.

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Fig. 1: The cardiovascular benefits of regular, moderate physical exercise.
Fig. 2: Typical electrocardiographic features of endurance athletes.
Fig. 3: Physiological and pathological adaptations to endurance exercise.
Fig. 4: Proposed aetiology of myocardial fibrosis in endurance athletes.

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  1. Cardiology Clinical and Academic Group, St. George’s University of London, London, UK

    Gemma Parry-Williams & Sanjay Sharma

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Both authors researched data for the article and discussed its content. G.P-W. wrote the manuscript, and S.S. reviewed and edited it before submission.

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Parry-Williams, G., Sharma, S. The effects of endurance exercise on the heart: panacea or poison?. Nat Rev Cardiol 17, 402–412 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-020-0354-3

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