Can Too Much Exercise Hurt the Heart?
October 25, 2019
Paul D. Thompson, MD
Chief of Cardiology, Emeritus at Hartford Hospital,
Professor of Medicine, Preventive Cardiology,
University of Connecticut
Exercise is known to reduce the development and presentation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but recent studies suggest that large amounts of endurance exercise are associated with increased blood levels of cardiac enzymes, increased cardiac fibrosis, increased coronary artery calcification, and increased atrial fibrillation. This presentation will discuss the issue of whether too much exercise can produce a cardiac sports injury.
Paul D. Thompson received his MD from Tufts University and completed his training in cardiology at Stanford Medical Center. He has led numerous NIH funded research projects and authored over 450 scientific articles on topics such as the effect of exercise training on preventing and treating heart disease, the risk of sudden death during exercise, the effect of statins on muscle function, the prevention of coronary artery disease in cancer patients, and genetic factors associated with response to exercise and vascular function in cancer survivors. Dr. Thompson is the Editor of the book Exercise and Sports Cardiology. He is a Past President of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Dr. Thompson’s research and clinical interests in exercise originate from his personal interest in distance running. He has run over 30 Boston Marathons and qualified for the 1972 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Eugene.