endurance athletes at risk for heart damage??

Please note in advance, before reading this, I am NOT (I repeat, NOT) trying to discourage people from running. I have a very dear friend who loves to run and runs a lot and I would never want to squash her dreams and love for running.

But....

I read something, on a blog that I follow, and it's got some similar information to what I've shared before [here]. It's well worth at least thinking about.

The article says that the Mayo Clinic suggests that chronic excessive endurance exercise (like marathon training) can cause major damage to a person's heart.

"They found that more than an hour of intense aerobic activity per day put runners and cyclers at heightened risk of serious heart problems, including an irregular heartbeat, clogged arteries, and scarring."

I hate to discourage anyone from exercising. And I don't think that most people over-exercise. In our nation, it's probably more common that we don't get enough exercise. But there are some who definitely over do it. Too much of anything, even something good for you, can be bad.

"Researchers theorized that repeated structural changes to the heart occur during excessive endurance training or competition, and when people take part in these activities multiple times over several years, scar tissue can form and weaken the heart muscle."

Isn't that crazy? You would think that the more you exercised, the healthier your heart would be. Not so. Apparently habitual marathon runners and professional cyclists are five times more likely to have irregular heartbeats than their less-active peers.

How can you tell if you are "over doing it" and may be at risk?

"According to a 15-year observational study of 52,000 adults, the highest degree of survival and health was found for those that:

• Ran less than 20 miles a week
• Ran at speeds of six to seven miles an hour (about a 10-minute mile)
• Ran 2-5 days a week

Those who ran more than this at faster paces had no additional survival benefits."

And in case you want to read the full post, click the link below.

Again, I will reiterate that I'm NOT suggesting that you shouldn't run. Just a little heads up for those of you who might be interested in your health long term. A year ago, I would not have had a clue that it was possible for avid or "chronic" endurance exercisers to scar their hearts doing something that is supposed to be good for you.


http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2012/07/18/some-exercise-is-great-but-too-much-could-kill-you-mayo-clinic-study-exclusive-renegade-health-article?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=some-exercise-is-great-but-too-much-could-kill-you-mayo-clinic-study-exclusive-renegade-health-article