The news is just permeating the sports world this afternoon, that 26 year old Gaines Adams, defensive end for the Chicago Bears, died from cardiac arrest this morning.
Whenever news of a professional athlete dying from heart-related causes hits the breakfast tables and living rooms of people living with various benign or more serious heart conditions, it gives them pause. And sometimes worry.
If someone that young can die from cardiac arrest, why can’t you?
He was in fantastic physical health and he still died. You’re in terrible shape. Who’s to say you won’t drop tomorrow from cardiac arrest, if someone so healthy could?
First, let’s look at a common sense analysis. NFL offensive and defensive lineman are huge. Gaines Adams was a defensive end, and while men playing that position are much larger than any normal human, they aren’t usually the largest men on the field. That distinction is held by the men playing on the interior of the defensive line and all of the offensive line, with most players in those positions weighing in excess of 300 pounds, some as much as 400 pounds - all packed onto frames in the 6′2″ - 6′6″ range.
Any everyday person with a body that large is putting their heart under tremendous stress. Pushing blood through the miles of fat-clogged veins under higher than normal pressures makes the heart, a muscle like any other, grow in size. Unfortunately, hearts almost never grow outward, or if they do, it’s a very small percentage of the total growth. Usually the muscle mass gained in an enlarged heart is gained inside the chambers of the heart, taking up the space and reducing the volume of blood that can be pumped with each contraction of the heart.
This starts a downward spiral where the heart must work even harder to pump sufficient blood volume throughout the body which makes the heart gain even more muscle mass. And in the bodies of NFL lineman, the stress is that much greater, as they are capable of and do perform physical feats that many amateur athletes 100 pounds lighter can’t perform. The vicious cycle of enlargement of the heart, if not caught, stopped and reversed, results in what happened this morning.
But let’s even set aside the common sense and anecdotes. Let’s look at some facts about the life expectancies of NFL players and lineman in particular.
A 1994 study of 7,000 former players by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found linemen had a 52 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than the general population. While U.S. life expectancy is well over 70 years years, this ‘94 study suggests the average for NFL players is 55. And worst of all, 52 for linemen.
The stories and statistics abound.
From ESPN: Heavy NFL players twice as likely to die before 50
From the St. Petersburg Times: A huge problem - Strength isn’t enough: NFL linemen have to be so big, their health may be at risk
From MSNBC: Retired NFL players focus of health push - Stars of the past feeling effects of tackle-filled careers
From Time: The NFL’s Huge Linemen: Healthier Than You Think?
While the death of any young person in the prime of their lives is tragic, in this particular case, unless you’re 6′5″ and weigh 290 pounds, there’s no reason the sadness over the loss of a player on your favorite team needs to become anxiety that you’ll suffer the same fate. The genetics of these NFL linemen coupled with the terrible health habits they learned throughout high school, college and the pros, all in the name of being massive and able to throw their weight around, are the reasons for their early demise - NOT a benign rhythm gone bad.
