European Heart Journal<\/a><\/em> looked at mortality and sudden cardiac death (SCD) rates in women who compete in bodybuilding. This is the first big analysis of its kind.<\/p>\nThe results aren\u2019t just numbers. They reveal a real and serious issue in a group of athletes we often think of as the picture of health. Are they really putting their lives at risk?<\/p>\n
In this article, I\u2019m going to dive deeper into this research and provide you with everything we currently know about a potential connection between female bodybuilders and higher sudden cardiac death risk.<\/p>\n
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, making changes to your nutrition plan, or adding any new supplements into your current regimen.<\/em><\/p>\nWhat the Research Looked At<\/h2>\n
While I\u2019d like to break apart this study and say that it was only with a small group of participants and that they didn\u2019t look at a long timeframe, this isn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n
This study wasn\u2019t a small snapshot that we can brush off. Researchers tracked female bodybuilders over 16 years, from 2005 to 2020. They included nearly 9,500 women who competed in international events across divisions such as Women\u2019s Bodybuilding, Women\u2019s Physique, and Figure.<\/p>\n
They then calculated death rates per 100,000 athlete-years. Basically, standardizing how often deaths happened relative to how long athletes were followed. This included various subgroups like juniors, masters (35+), amateurs, and pros.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not going to lie\u2026 that\u2019s a solid design for spotting patterns over time.<\/p>\n
What They Found<\/h2>\n
Let\u2019s look at what the researchers actually found of importance and what we need to fully understand from this research.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Deaths and Age<\/h3>\n
Out of those athletes, 32 deaths were identified during the study. The average age was roughly 43 years old when these athletes died.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how the causes broke down:<\/p>\n
\n- 10 were sudden cardiac deaths (about 31% of all deaths).<\/li>\n
- 5 were non-sudden deaths.<\/li>\n
- The rest were a mix of traumatic and non-traumatic causes.<\/li>\n
- Around 13% were due to suicide or homicide. That figure was over four times higher than what\u2019s seen in male bodybuilders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As someone who writes for bodybuilders and athletes for a living, that last part jumped out to me. It suggests we can\u2019t just focus on the physical side. There are mental and social stresses in this sport, too.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SCD Happens More in Pro Female Bodybuilders<\/h3>\n
The risk of sudden cardiac death wasn\u2019t equal across the board. It was the highest among professionally competing female bodybuilders. In fact:<\/p>\n
\n- Pros had an SCD rate of about 54 per 100,000 athlete-years.<\/li>\n
- Amateurs had a much lower rate (only around 2.5 per 100,000 athlete-years).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you crunch the numbers, that\u2019s a shocking difference. Professional competition (with its higher demands and stressors) appears strongly linked to this increased risk.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Around Competitions<\/h3>\n
Another point that caught my eye: several of the deaths occurred within a year of competition, and both SCDs in that group were around events. This suggests not just long-term training effects, but acute stress or strain tied to the competitive cycle.<\/p>\n
How Does This Compare to Male Bodybuilders?<\/h2>\n
When researchers compared these findings with similar data from male bodybuilders, trends were interesting.<\/p>\n