{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/f3fb5c75-b943-4f5d-bd87-27c91611dd24/6aabd8e48de3b43b6a86ff7c?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Athlete's Heart: Can You Really Exercise Too Much?","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6100856531fd81f125b34dac/1789647069535-5b90098a-03d5-422c-ac2f-63850348e35d.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>In a groundbreaking study - commissioned by the British Heart Foundation and published in July 2025 (see details below) - Dr Peter Swoboda led a team from the University of Leeds to establish whether prolonged endurance exercise could be a risk factor for heart health in older athletes. The results offer revealing insight into the role of exercise in long-term heart health and whether endurance training carries any risks. Dr Swoboda also explains the basics of what exercise does for heart health, which types of exercise work best, why sudden death can happen in sporting events, and how best to look after your heart in the long term. Swoboda is an Associate Professor of Cardiology and Consultant Cardiologist at the University of Leeds with over 100 peer-reviewed publications.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.patreon.com/c/thescienceofsport/membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Become a Supporter of The Real Science of Sport HERE,</strong></a> and get access to the exclusive post-credit content, ad-free listening and exclusive member-only shows, as well as our Discourse community where listeners share thoughts and insights on sport and sports science topics.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>SHOW NOTES</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.125.018470\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The VENTOUX Study led by our guest, Dr Peter Swoboda</a></li><li>The <a href=\"https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2025/july/heart-scarring-in-veteran-endurance-athletes\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">British Heart Foundation write up of that study's first finding</a></li><li>A r<a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/42/28/2737/6179516?login=false\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">ecent review article that looks at the overall picture of heart health in endurance trained athletes</a>, discussing the three risk factors we explore on the show</li><li>One of those <a href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.026964?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">risk factors is Coronary Artery Disease, which is studied in this paper</a></li><li>Going back some time, this is <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22677079/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">one of the papers that first raised the fear that endurance training in large doses could be harmful to the heart</a></li><li><a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21846575/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">One of a few studies that showed progressive improvements in life expectancy and health with more exercise</a></li><li>Alex Hutchinson has done a great deal to explain the risks, and misplaced fears, of endurance training. <a href=\"https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20823603/what-to-know-about-running-and-your-heart/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Here is one such article</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/endurance-athletes-heart-health-research-2021/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Another by Hutchinson, from 2021, providing a good overview of the three purported risks of endurance training on the heart</a></li></ul>","author_name":"Professor Ross Tucker and Mike Finch"}