Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Profile of Experienced Male Amateur Marathon Runners: A Systematic Review

CONTEXT: Male amateur marathon runners represent a unique subset of the population who may be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to their underlying risk factors and their involvement in vigorous exercise such as marathon running. OBJECTIVE: To assess the modifiable risk factors (MRFs) of CVD in experienced male amateur marathon runners and health interventions on CVD risk factors. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, and SPORTDiscus. STUDY SELECTION: Studies selected according to the inclusion criteria. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. DATA EXTRACTION: The publication dates included were from June 1, 2008 to February 29, 2020. Published primary epidemiological, observational, randomized controlled trial (RCT) and/or non-RCT studies assessing the MRFs of CVD and health interventions on CVD risk factors in male amateur marathon runners aged ≥18 years and written in the English language were included in the review. RESULTS: Five studies met the inclusion criteria for analysis. These included male amateur marathon runners (n = 862), aged 42 to 77 years. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and alcohol use were MRFs positively associated with an increased risk of coronary atherosclerosis found in a subset of male marathon runners. No studies examined health interventions on CVD risk factors in any of the included studies. All 5 studies were of good quality from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute quality assessment tools used. The risk of bias was low to moderate. CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of observational studies evaluating the CVD MRFs. Negative lifestyle behaviors exist within this population despite their engagement in physical exercise through marathon running. Marathon running does not negate the long-term effects caused by past negative lifestyle behaviors. This systematic review identifies that this population may not be aware of their possible risk of atherosclerosis and, consequently, CVD.