News Release

Retired NFL players, notably linemen, had high risk of artery plaque, per independent study

American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026, Abstract MDP2141

Reports and Proceedings

American Heart Association

Research Highlights:

  • Former professional football players may be at high risk of undiagnosed, untreated coronary artery disease (CAD) that often occurs without symptoms, according to a preliminary study of 200 former NFL players. CAD limits blood flow to the heart’s muscle, preventing it from receiving enough oxygen.
  • The research found most of the study’s participants had plaque in their coronary arteries, and more than 40% had arteries blocked more than 50%.
  • Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), a noninvasive scan that X-rays the heart’s arteries, and AI coronary plaque analysis — that measures the amount and type of plaque in coronary arteries — made former NFL players aware of their risk of CAD and want to seek treatment.
  • Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

This news release contains updated information not available in the abstract.

DALLAS, Nov. 2, 2026 — Retired NFL players may have a high risk of undiagnosed, untreated coronary artery disease (CAD) that often occurs without symptoms, according to new, independent, preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026. The meeting, Nov. 6-9, in Chicago, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science.

CAD occurs when cholesterol plaque deposits in the heart arteries, limiting blood flow to the heart and reducing oxygen delivery. Plaque buildup can lead to a heart attack.

“Nearly 9 out of 10 men in this study had plaque in their coronary arteries, 4 in 10 had a significant narrowing, and yet almost none of them experienced any symptoms, and prior to the scan less than a third were on statins to lower their cholesterol,” said study co-author

Campbell Rogers, M.D., chief medical officer at Heartflow, Inc, a medical technology company advancing noninvasive heart disease diagnosis through artificial intelligence. “These results are consistent with the fact that 1 in 3 former NFL players dies from heart disease.”

This study is believed to be the first assessment of coronary plaque in retired professional football players. It focused on 200 retired NFL players enrolled in the GAMEFILM Registry who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and Heartflow AI coronary plaque analysis (AI-CPA). The AI analysis creates a personalized, color-coded 3D model of heart arteries and measures plaque volume, type and impact on blood flow.

What are the study’s key findings?

  • The imaging revealed coronary plaque in 85% of former players, yet only 13% had a known CAD diagnosis prior to the scan.
  • Coronary artery disease was often advanced among the retired players: 42% of former players had a blockage that narrowed at least one of their heart by more than 50%. About 1 in 5 had blockages in multiple arteries, or 29% had plaque substantial enough to significantly restrict blood flow to the heart. However, less than 10% of the former players reported chest pain or shortness of breath.
  • On average, nearly 90% of the detected plaque was soft (noncalcified), which is associated with higher disease risk than calcified plaque and cannot be detected by traditional coronary artery calcium scores. 1 in 3 former NFL players had coronary plaque, placing them in the severe or extensive category of total plaque volume (TPV 251-750 mm3 or TPV >750 mm3, respectively).
  • Retired linemen had more plaque and more severe blockages compared with participants who had played other positions.
  • Researchers compared total plaque volume for each participant to an age- and sex-matched group of individuals, and former linemen sat above the median for total plaque volume, while players of other positions ranked well below the median — a statistically significant difference.

“We expected to find plaque, but we did not expect to find such a striking gap between how much significant disease these former football players had and how few of them had any symptoms,” Rogers said. “It is a reminder of how poorly symptoms can track with what is actually happening inside a coronary artery.”

Lead study author David Maron, M.D., a paid consultant for Heartflow, noted that what is encouraging about the study is that participants were eager to take preventive action. “When participants could see the plaque in their arteries, they wanted to act — nearly 90% of those not already taking cholesterol-lowering medications before the analysis said they were ready to start treatment,” Maron said. “The good news is that when CAD is found early, it is very treatable, often with medication and lifestyle changes rather than a medical procedure.”

He said the next steps in research are to explore if willingness to act turns into treatment, lower cholesterol levels and results in fewer heart attacks.

Maron is the chief of the Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University, however this research work was not part of his Stanford University duties or responsibilities.

American Heart Association volunteer expert Michael Shapiro, M.D., MPH, FAHA, said that being a former elite athlete does not protect you from coronary disease later in life.

“Plaque can build up in the artery walls for years without affecting blood flow enough to cause symptoms,” he said. “So, feeling fine does not necessarily mean the arteries are healthy. A plaque can also rupture and cause a clot and heart attack without much warning.”

Shapiro, who was not involved in the study, is chair of the Association’s ATVB & Lifestyle Clinical Lipidology, Lipoprotein, Metabolism & Thrombosis Committee.

While this study focused on former athletes, he noted that there is a message to the public.

“Everyone should pay attention to risk before symptoms appear,” said Shapiro, who is also director of the Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “You need to know your cholesterol, blood pressure and family history, and get treatment when it is needed.”

Study details, background, design and limitations:

  • The GAMEFILM Registry is a heart-health study for retired professional athletes that began with former NFL players and now includes former NHL, MLB and NBA players, as well as professional athletic staff associated with these leagues or U.S. college sports teams.
  • The median age of participants in this study was 57 years, and the median body mass index (BMI) was 31.
  • Among the participants: About a quarter were linemen; 5% had Type 2 diabetes; about 30% had high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol; and 1 in 6 self-reported that they were current or former smokers.
  • The CCTA used in the research is a noninvasive X-ray angiogram of the heart’s arteries to visualize whether heart artery narrowing is present. Researchers ran those images through the Heartflow AI coronary plaque analysis tool, then each participant reviewed his results with a cardiologist. Before and after that conversation, each former player was asked whether he believed he had heart disease and whether he would be willing to begin treatment, possibly including one or more medications.
  • Heartflow is a medical technology company that uses AI-powered software to diagnose and manage CAD noninvasively.
  • The research has several limitations, including that it is based on voluntary enrollment, therefore, the participants in the study do not represent all retired NFL players. It also did not have a prospectively enrolled control group of non-athletes. Researchers compared the participants to an age- and sex-matched reference population of athletes. Because the study examined former NFL players, the findings may not be applicable to other athletes or the general population.

Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the abstract.

Statements and conclusions of studies that are presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. Abstracts presented at the Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, rather, they are curated by independent review panels and are considered based on the potential to add to the diversity of scientific issues and views discussed at the meeting. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

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