Big, Beefy Football Players May Face Heart Problems Later

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To get an idea of how football players' health really compared with that of baseball players, Helzberg and his colleagues assessed a range of risk factors in 69 professional football players and 155 baseball players -- both minor and major league.

Many football players, such as quarterbacks and receivers, have heart disease risk profiles similar to those of baseball players. However, the 19 men playing lineman positions -- including guards, tackles, centers and defensive ends -- had significantly higher fasting blood sugar levels, waist circumferences and waist-to-height ratios, which are all considered risk factors for cardiovascular disease. And, when three such risk factors are combined, it's considered metabolic syndrome, which often indicates an increased risk for heart disease.

Of the linemen, 26 percent had fasting glucose levels above 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) compared with 7 percent of the baseball players. That level is considered prediabetic, according to the American Diabetes Association.

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Nearly 100 percent of the linemen had a waist circumference greater than 100 centimeters (39.4 inches), which is considered a risk factor for heart disease, whereas only 8 percent of the baseball players had waists that size. Having a waist-to-height ratio greater than 0.5 also increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, and 95 percent of the linemen had a ratio greater than that, compared with 24 percent of the baseball players, according to Helzberg.

"These guys are very big, and yes, they have more muscle, but a lot of the weight is fat, and anyone at a higher weight is at risk of metabolic syndrome," said Dr. Jonathan Whiteson, co-director of the Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention Center at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

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