Philipp Bohm, MD, of the Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine at the University of Saarland, and Jürgen Scharhag, MD, cardiologist at the University of Saarland, and colleagues compared 33 elite master athletes aged 47 to 33 men who were similar in age, size and weight but were not endurance athletes.
Here are three points:
1. Researchers found the elite athletes’ hearts were larger and stronger compared to the control group’s hearts.
2. However, the researchers did not find any lasting damage, pathological enlargement or functional impairment in the elite athletes’ hearts.
3. The researchers conclude heart damage in elite athletes undergoing endurance training seems to be unlikely.
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