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AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 Abstract

Exercise volume was not linked to heart valve calcium

Among 26,424 adults aged 40–80, an observational analysis found no link between reported exercise volume and calcium deposits on the aortic valve.

Paper by Keval Patel, Nidhish Lokesh, David Leonard, +2 more authorsBenjamin D Levine · Univ of Texas Southwestern
Aortic valves seen from above show similar scattered calcium deposits beside small groups of standing and walking figures.

Our read

Populations
Studied:
Cross-sectional study of 26,424 adults aged 40–80
What changed:
Exercise volume was not associated with aortic valve calcium in the group overall
The catch:
Exercise volume was self-reported over three months, not measured over a lifetime
In the record:
The 3,206th paper on physical activity with results in people; 6,813 on record in all.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper
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The 26,424 Cooper Center Longitudinal Study participants, aged 40–80 and including 8,287 women, underwent heart scans in a cross-sectional observational analysis. They reported the frequency, type and duration of exercise over the previous three months. The researchers compared exercise volume with the presence and volume of calcium deposits on the aortic valve, which controls blood flow from the heart into the body’s main artery.

Aortic valve calcium was present in 10% of participants: 6% of women and 11% of men. Exercise volume was not associated with aortic valve calcium in the group overall.

Why it matters

Calcium buildup on the aortic valve features in the most common form of valve disease in aging populations. The analysis addressed concerns that high exercise volumes might be linked to this buildup.

Caveats

A one-time scan and self-reported exercise over three months could not reveal how lifelong exercise related to changes in valve calcium. The findings, reported in a conference abstract, concerned adults aged 40–80, not people outside that age range.

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