Almost unnoticed, a strange and deadly phenomenon has crept into the sport of bodybuilding. Many young and successful bodybuilders, in the prime of their careers, have lost their lives due to sudden, unexplained heart attacks. Most of them had no previous history of heart related problems and were in the prime of health. Even women bodybuilders and powerlifters have been affected.
In many cases, the men and women left behind not just their spouses and parents but also little children – school going or even toddlers – when they passed away. The tragedy has not spared the Indian bodybuilding community. According to a YouTube channel called Bodybuilding Insider, 2021 was a bad year for Indian bodybuilders since several participants passed away.
In 2022 a champion from India, Dheeraj Dahiya, who had won the Mr. India, Mr. North India, Mr. Haryana and Mr. Gurgaon titles during his career died suddenly. The reason could not be pinpointed but it was surmised that he had a heart attack. The astonishing thing was that after having some chest pain he drove his car to the hospital and got himself treated but died thereafter. Another successful 23-year-old bodybuilder from Agra by the name of Syed Ayan died under almost similar circumstances.
Worldwide, 36 bodybuilders passed away unexpectedly in 2022 and several more died in 2023. They include Rachel Chase who had 1.5 million followers on social media. She passed away leaving behind five children. At the age of 29, Brazilian champion Christian Figueredo died of a stroke.
Death of Arnold’s friend
A well known case was that of Cedric McMillan, a 44-year-old world class IFBB professional who was also an United States army instructor. Cedric was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s close friends although he was much younger in age.
As a boy, Cedric admired Arnold and took up bodybuilding after watching Arnold’s film Conan The Barbarian. He joined the US Army after finishing High School and was known to be a home loving family man and left behind four beloved children. His death left Arnold in shock.
Mystery as woman dies in sleep
A well known woman bodybuilder, 37-year-old Ashley Gearhart passed away in her sleep. Again the cause given was a heart attack. She left behind two little children. Her Instagram photos can still be seen as she works out in a gym. The Sun newspaper ran the headline – Ashley Gearhart dead – Mystery as bodybuilder dies in sleep.
The problem spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic but continued at a high rate even after the pandemic was brought under control. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in the USA, in 2021 more than two dozen professional bodybuilders who were participating in various events, died suddenly along with a few retired ones who were less than 60 years of age. The spate of deaths has subsided only marginally in 2022 and 2023.
A possible cause
Some doctors have put forward the theory that bodybuilders who were taking steroids and also took the vaccines during the period of the pandemic were badly affected. Their hearts were damaged because the steroids and the vaccines do not mix well. But this theory has not been proved beyond doubt.
A journal brought out by the National Library of Medicine mentions that the deaths received much attention in the bodybuilding world but relatively little in the medical community. Bodybuilding health and safety are an under-recognized public health issue although the sport attracts male and female competitors of all ages from across the world, the article stated. The article also states that it is tempting to ascribe the unexpected heart attacks to the use of anabolic steroids by the concerned athletes but this may not be the only factor involved.
Unless a thorough investigation is carried out on a very large scale across several countries by a highly qualified medical team, the mystery cannot be satisfactorily solved. In the meantime bodybuilders and daily gym goers too, must heed the first signs of discomfort and seek medical advice at once. Even one day’s delay could prove fatal.
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