The Irish poet William Butler Yeats wrote, “Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart.” Was he referring to endurance athletes? Perhaps. Coronary artery calcification, or CAC, is a marker for subclinical atherosclerosis and can be detected (and quantitated) using ultrafast CT. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) found that a calcium […]
Recent Posts
The Exercise Paradox: Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Athletes
The long term benefits of exercise are well documented, but as sports cardiologists we know that these benefits must be balanced against the short term risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) from ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurring during or after exercise. The incidence of SCA is 1 in 50,000 among NCAA athletes, […]
Every breath you take: Measuring peak VO2
As an endurance athlete, your peak athletic performance is determined by your VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen that you can consume per unit of time. You can increase your peak VO2 through training, and it has been shown that high intensity training, or HIT, is the most effective way to do so. While […]
Run for your life
Or swim, bike, row, dance, walk at a brisk pace. But whatever you do, do it regularly. Because the reality is that you will live longer. Years longer. Studies have shown that your level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a more powerful predictor of mortality, both cardiovascular and all cause, than traditional risk factors like […]
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
