Sudden heart -death risk increases in male bodybuilders

The sudden heart death is responsible for an unusually high proportion of deaths in male bodybuilders worldwide with the highest risk among professional body buliders. European heart journal.

Sudden heart is death when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly due to a problem with his heart. It is generally rare for boys and apparently healthy people, but it is often associated with the underlying heart disease.

Researchers say that their results underline the health risks associated with competitive bodybuilding and indicate the need for more awareness, preventive strategies and political changes in this community.

The study was made by Dr. Marco Vecchiato from the University of Padova, Italy. He said: “As a sports and sports doctor, I came close to the bodybuilding world, and this gave me the opportunity not only to see its many positive aspects such as promoting fitness and self-discipline, but also some of the challenges and risks that are naturally part of this discipline.

“I have seen more and more reports of early deaths in people who are involved in bodybuilding and fitness. These tragic events that are often affected by young and apparently healthy athletes emphasize a gap in our understanding of long -term health risks related to competitive bodybuilding. So far has no study of the incidence of death and sudden death in this sports discussion.”

Dr. Vecchiato and his colleagues collected the names of 20,286 male bodybuilders from the official competitive files and from an unofficial online database. All men had participated in at least one international event for fitness and bodybuilding federation between 2005 and 2020.

The researchers then searched for reports on the death of a competitor named in five different languages ​​in various web sources, including official media reports, social media, bodybuilding forums and blogs. All reported deaths were then checked using several sources, and these reports were checked and analyzed by two clinics in order to determine the cause of death as far as possible.

The researchers found 121 deaths among men with the average age of 45 years. Sudden heart death made 38% of it. The risk of a sudden heart death was higher in professional bodybulers, with a more than five -time increase compared to amateurs.

In the few available autop apparatus, the joint findings included thickening or enlarging the heart and in some cases a coronary artery disease. In some cases, toxicological analyzes and publicly available reports showed misuse of anabolic substances.

Dr. Vecchiato said: “Our results show that the risk of death in male bodybuilders is considerably high. Professional athletes had a significantly higher incidence of a sudden heart deaths, which indicates that the level of competition could contribute to this increased risk.

“Bodybuilding includes several practices that could affect health, such as extreme strength training, quick strategies for weight reduction, including severe nutritional restrictions and dehydration as well as the widespread use of various performance -enhancing substances. Rhythm and possibly to structurally.

“The risk can be higher for professional bodybuilders, since they often participate intensively in these practices over a long time and have a higher competitive pressure to achieve extreme bodies.

“The message is clear to bodybuilders: While the pursuit of physical excellence is admirable, the pursuit of extreme body transformation can bring considerable health risks at all costs. Especially for the heart. Awareness of these risks should promote secure training practices, improved medical surveillance and different cultural approaches that promote the use of performance.

“For clinicians, our results indicate how important proactive cardiovascular screening and advice in this population is, even in young and apparently healthy athletes. Due to this data, the medical associations can no longer ignore this health problem and should work with the respective associations that work with the respective associations and the political makers to promote participation, provided that the approaches are famous influence, the approaches in approaching can also influence the approaches.

“For political decision-makers and sports organizations, the study underlines the need for a cultural change in bodybuilding, including stronger anti-doping measures, educational campaigns on the risks of drug abuse and certain sports-related practices as well as the development of specific health monitoring programs.

“In a broader sense, research questions the idea that the appearance is solely an indicator of health, and shows the hidden risks that can even exist the most shaped physique. However, our results are not an indictment against strength training or fitness culture in general. In contrast, regular body activity and strength training can be extremely advantageous.

Around 15% of deaths were classified as “sudden traumatic deaths”, including car accidents, suicides, murders and overdoses. “These results underline the need to commit the psychological effects of bodybuilding culture. These psychological health problems sometimes deteriorate with drug abuse and can increase the risk of impulsive or self-destructive behavior,” added Dr. Vecchiato added.

The researchers focused on male bodybuilders because they represent the majority of the participants at a competitive level, and therefore further data on men are available. However, you are working on a similar study that focuses on female bodybuilders. They also plan to examine the deaths under bodybuilders over time to determine whether the health risks have changed with practice.

Reference: Vecchiato M., Ermolao A., da Col M. et al. Mortality in men
Bodybuilding athlete. EUR heart J.. 2025: EHAF285. DOI: 10.1093/Eurheartj/ehaf285

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