Something is moving in sports-related sudden cardiac death is it time to change our minds?

Abstract

Leisure-time exercise was already encouraged by the European, Chinese, and Indian ancestries to remain fit, thus highlighting that an excellent physical condition has been central for subsistence during the large part of human history. In recent years, the advent of obesity and metabolic syndrome prompted a much stronger promotion of moderate to vigorous exercise to overcome the pernicious effects of sedentarism and struggle with cardiovascular disease pandemics. Such campaigns may have improved the quality of life and reduced cardiovascular risk factor burden but have been paradoxically threatened by significant cardiovascular side effects. Current evidence supports that long-term strenuous endurance exercise increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias and, possibly, impairs vascular function. Foremost, strenuous bouts of endurance exercise have been associated with an increased risk of sudden death.