Derek of MPMD Talks Death of Bodybuilders: “Almost Always a Cardiovascular Issue”

Bodybuilding as a profession involves taking risks in terms of dietary choices, supplement intake, and the intensity of exercises. However sometimes, these risks manifest into the worst-case scenario for some athletes. Bodybuilding icon Derek from More Plates More Dates recently sat down with Dr. Peter Attia to discuss a tragic incident involving a fitness influencer’s demise and why bodybuilders may face death at a young age. 

The bodybuilding world was shaken upon hearing the demise of Jo Lindner aka Joesthetics. The 30-year-old fitness influencer set alarm bells ringing in light of health safety in the fitness industry. While Lindner was one of the recent cases, Derek pointed out a list of bodybuilders who died at an alarmingly young age. 

“Just left blood pressure unchecked, and had you know, heart function just destroyed essentially, and hearts that are way larger than they should be…”

Derek’s take on bodybuilding risks that lead to an early demise

Since German fitness icon Jo Lindner’s death created a wave of shock among the masses, Derek brought that out to highlight how deaths at a young age were prevalent among those involved in fitness. Amidst discussions of PEDs and supplements, what surprised the bodybuilder was Lindner’s special measures to keep his bloodwork and health in check.

“He was more of like a jacked fitness model by fitness industry standards and less drug use, significantly less drug use, less food intake, he was always in a calorie deficit, shredded year-round, the guy did lots of cardio, at least like 10000 plus steps a day, ate clean…like there was no reason objectively at least why he should die at 30”

Yet, despite all these extra steps, Jo passed away after an aneurysm in his neck. Derek mentioned speculations behind one of the reasons for his demise being two booster doses of vaccine that contributed to blood clots, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Dr. Attia even added that an autopsy in such cases has always been helpful in determining the true cause.

So what is the most common reason behind the deaths of young bodybuilders?

Speaking about various kinds of aneurysms, Derek also mentioned other bodybuilders who faced an early, tragic demise during their bodybuilding careers. 

“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Rich Piana, but he was a very famous uh and influential bodybuilder in the fitness industry and he died in his 40s with uh I think it was like a 660gm heart, and then Dallas McCarver probably the most notable one…he was like a mass monster by IFBB Pro standards which is like one of the guys on the Olympia stage who’s actually the biggest of the guys on that stage…his heart was like 860gm or something”

While bodybuilding as a sport has evolved over the years, Derek observed that many of the deaths that occurred to younger athletes resulted from various forms of cardiovascular issues. The usage of many medications combined with intense physical activity, certain strict diet routines, and many other factors came together to contribute to a tragic end.

“In general what I’ve seen from the autopsies available on some pretty young bodybuilders it’s almost always a cardiovascular issue”

Read also: 21 Bodybuilders Who Died of Heart Attack

While Joesthetics’ demise still carries a shroud of mystery behind it, Derek and Dr. Attia’s various observations throughout their podcast put many facets of the bodybuilding and fitness industry in perspective. Tragic events unfortunately are a part of this sport, but proper study and reasoning behind them can help make the industry a better place.

Watch the video below:

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