A new study from the finds that a group of retired NFL players has aortas that are larger than a non-athletic control group.
, the director of the , says this is the first time any professional athlete has been associated with an enlarged aorta.
鈥淣FL athletes appear to have enlarged aortas compared to sedentary controls, but we still have a lot to learn as to whether this means that they鈥檙e at higher risk of any future complication.鈥�
Phelan says the study was originally designed to look at the overall health of athletes. Researchers then found that 30 percent of the NFL players had enlarged aortas.
Phelan believes more studies are needed to determine if the same trend is seen in other professional athletes.
