Dr Bedi Heart Surgeon cautions Bodybuilders re Risk of Heart Attack
Dr HS Bedi/ October 10,2025
Firstly, sincere condolences on the recent passing away of Varinder Singh Ghuman, a young bodybuilder.
Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Director Cardio Vascular Sciences at the Park Grecian Hospital Mohali , Punjab – stated that it is a well fact that male bodybuilder athletes have a 5 times higher risk of heart attack . This is due to multiple factors .
Dr Bedi explained that such athletes can have heart disorder called cardiomyopathy which predisposes to sudden cardiac death (SCD) . This can be easily picked up by a simple test called a cardiac echo. Besides this athletes are sometimes given anabolic steroids and protein supplements which can damage the heart and kidneys . In International competitions the athlete sometimes intentionally dehydrates to maintain a specified boy weight – this makes the blood thicker and predisposes to a heart attack due to a clot . Intense burst of exercise can unduly put a major stress on the heart .
Dr Bedi recalled a former Mr Punjab who developed heart disease at a young age due to a to a combination of above factors – he successfully underwent a bypass surgery by Dr Bedi.
A research paper in the prestigious European Heart Journal published in May 2025 has scientifically documented all the above – https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/46/30/3006/8131432 .
Dr Bedi stated that it is important to have regular heart checkups, a graded exercise plan under a qualified coach, a prudent low fat zero deep fried diet and avoidance of any drug or artificial supplements to keep the risk of heart attack in control in our bodybuilder athletes .
Dr Bedi can be contacted at 9814060480 or [email protected]
