TY - JOUR
T1 - Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Coronary Atherosclerosis in Retired National Football League Players
AU - Chang, Alice Y.
AU - FitzGerald, Shannon J.
AU - Cannaday, John
AU - Zhang, Song
AU - Patel, Amit
AU - Palmer, M. Dean
AU - Reddy, Gautham P.
AU - Ordovas, Karen G.
AU - Stillman, Arthur E.
AU - Janowitz, Warren
AU - Radford, Nina B.
AU - Roberts, Arthur J.
AU - Levine, Benjamin D.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Living Heart Foundation, Miami, Florida; educational grants from the National Football League Players Association, the National Football League Alliance, and the Donald W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas; Grants AG06945 and HL62508 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; the Communities Foundation of Texas, on the recommendation of Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt, the S. Finley Ewing, Jr., Chair for Wellness at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, Dallas, Texas; the Harry S. Moss Heart Foundation, Dallas, Texas; and Grant UL1RR024982, “North and Central Texas Clinical and Translational Science Initiative,” from the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resource and the American Heart Association, Dallas, Texas.
PY - 2009/9/15
Y1 - 2009/9/15
N2 - A high prevalence of obesity exists in National Football League (NFL) players as determined by body mass index (BMI). It is not established whether increased BMI is associated with a greater prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors or coronary atherosclerosis in former NFL players than in nonathletes. This study compared CV risk factors and coronary atherosclerosis in retired NFL players to 2 groups of community controls, the population-based Dallas Heart Study and the preventive medicine cohort, the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. Retired NFL players (n = 201) were matched for ethnicity, age, and BMI (Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, age only). CV risk factors were assessed by survey and screening visit. Coronary atherosclerosis was measured by computed tomography as coronary artery calcium (CAC). Compared to population-based controls, retired NFL players had a significantly lower prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, and metabolic syndrome, yet a higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose and hyperlipidemia. However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of detectable CAC (46% vs 48.3%, p = 0.69) or distribution of CAC (0 to 10, 10 to 100, 100 to 400, ≥400, p = 0.11). Comparing retired NFL players to the physically active preventive medicine controls, there was no difference in the amount of CAC. In retired NFL players, age and hyperlipidemia, not body size, were the most significant predictors of CAC. In conclusion, despite their large body size, retired NFL players do not have a greater prevalence of CV risk factors or amount of CAC than community controls.
AB - A high prevalence of obesity exists in National Football League (NFL) players as determined by body mass index (BMI). It is not established whether increased BMI is associated with a greater prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors or coronary atherosclerosis in former NFL players than in nonathletes. This study compared CV risk factors and coronary atherosclerosis in retired NFL players to 2 groups of community controls, the population-based Dallas Heart Study and the preventive medicine cohort, the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. Retired NFL players (n = 201) were matched for ethnicity, age, and BMI (Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, age only). CV risk factors were assessed by survey and screening visit. Coronary atherosclerosis was measured by computed tomography as coronary artery calcium (CAC). Compared to population-based controls, retired NFL players had a significantly lower prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, and metabolic syndrome, yet a higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose and hyperlipidemia. However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of detectable CAC (46% vs 48.3%, p = 0.69) or distribution of CAC (0 to 10, 10 to 100, 100 to 400, ≥400, p = 0.11). Comparing retired NFL players to the physically active preventive medicine controls, there was no difference in the amount of CAC. In retired NFL players, age and hyperlipidemia, not body size, were the most significant predictors of CAC. In conclusion, despite their large body size, retired NFL players do not have a greater prevalence of CV risk factors or amount of CAC than community controls.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.amjcard.2009.05.008
DO - 10.1016/j.amjcard.2009.05.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 19733715
AN - SCOPUS:69549122919
SN - 0002-9149
VL - 104
SP - 805
EP - 811
JO - American Journal of Cardiology
JF - American Journal of Cardiology
IS - 6
ER -