High-Volume Exercise Tied to Increased Coronary Artery Calcification Score

WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Male athletes with high-volume exercise training have a higher burden of calcified plaque than male nonathletes, according to a review published in the June issue of JACC: Advances.

Ahmed Abdelaziz, M.D., from the Medical Research Group of Egypt at the Negida Academy in Arlington, Massachusetts, and colleagues evaluated the impact of endurance exercise on coronary atherosclerosis assessed by cardiac computed tomography in athletes and nonathletes. The analysis included data from nine observational studies (61,150 participants). 

The researchers found that male athletes with an exercise volume of >3,000 MET-minutes/week showed higher mean coronary artery calcification (CAC) scores than nonathlete males (mean difference = 31.62). No difference in CAC was found for male athletes with 1,500 to 3,000 MET-minutes/week or female athletes with an exercise volume of 1,500 MET-minutes/week or greater. There were significant sex-specific differences for the association between exercise volume and calcified plaque number and volume by coronary computed tomography angiography.

“Future high-quality longitudinal studies are imperative to address these gaps, refine our understanding of the impact of exercise on atherosclerosis, clarify the prognostic value of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in athletes and establish standardized thresholds for optimal exercise volume,” the authors write.

One author has disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

Abstract/Full Text