The Heart of a Cyclist: Insights from Sports Cardiology

(45:52 - Audience Questions) Long term endurance exercises lead to specific cardiac adaptations, known as athlete's heart. Find out the impacts of lifelong high-intensity endurance training and find out what you need to know to take care of your athlete's heart. [4/2018] [Show ID: 33441]

More from: Medicine of Cycling -- Mini Medical School for the Public Presented by UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

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[donross]

I am a 77 year old retired ER physician and I am a rabid advocate of the health benefits of cycling. It truly works miracles and as an example I can still do a 4:16 on the USAA Cycling 5 minute TT (a 4% average upgrade at 6300 foot elevation in Colorado Springs). I weigh low 170 pounds. I can't believe how good I still feel thanks to cycling BUT one area doctors never discuss (and this is huge) is alcohol and the heart. Alcohol is a potent cardiomyotoxin (meaning it is toxic to the heart muscle and causes heart muscle inflammation) but this is dose related. When I was in training I had a 23 year old die from his excessive alcohol intake causing congestive heart failure. In the ER I would see young people come in with an arrhythmia over the holidays due to excessive alcohol (thus the title "Holiday Heart"). As one gets older the risk of Atrial Fibrillation goes up logarithmically and AF can be exercise induced. AF causation is multifactorial and these precipitators make it much more likely during a ride: dehydration, low potassium, hypothermia (even drinking a smoothie can bring it on!), lack of sleep, too much caffeine, thyroid excess, and others. But no one ever seems to bring up the subject of excessive alcohol prior and the risk of AF. I love a nice red wine and this leaves me conflicted but I have found that half a bottle 2-3 days a week seems to not precipitate AF so one does not need to totally do without. My take home message to all us geriatric cycling advocates is keep all those precipitators to a minimum including alcohol and you can continue to partake of the Fountain of Youth and not need what most doctors would recommend: blood thinners or cardiac ablation!
Also, watch your heart monitor (Garmin or whatever) like a hawk and when your rate starts getting in the upper ranges just back off to keep it out of trouble. Very high rate from exertion can bring on AF.

[justanothercanuckian]

daily cyclist here - was told today by my doc I have thickened wall. this video couldn't have come at a better time - I have a stress echo coming up to be sure it's benign and of the "athlete's heart" nature. Thank you for this talk Dr. Accad.

[davidpowell]

Cycling has nothing on competitive running as pertains to creating "athlete's heart" in the 100 mile footrace where a mountain must be climbed fast in order to get the lead over the previously passed runner who just lost first place.

[artred]

Thank you, as a keen cyclist, a real insight which has eased my anxiety a tad following a recent HA. ❤️

[markflolid]

Good presentation. I wish cardiologist had more experience with athletes. Seems they are always comparing me to my age cohort that includes a large unfit population.

[Mrodriguez]

Though this was a great lecture, I would have loved to see him discuss the benefits of Cycling in relation to overall health in terms of bone density, neurological components(neurogenesis), psychological components, ect... His concluding remarks leave us waiting for further data in relation to the cost of such physical activity in a economic sense. Thank you for Uploading this wonderful lecture nonetheless. :]

[vijimeeharam]

Sir, please let me know whether these cardiac changes are applicable for shuttle players also.

[patrickrutherford]

Almost seems as if exercise could be more detrimental than being sedentary in regard to calcification of the coronary artery