I knew it: Too much exercise can be dangerous for your heart

I always had this feeling that all those folks out there running marathons and biking long distance were really doing damage to themselves in the long run. Never mind the risks they take being out on the roads with motor vehicles which can mess up your health pretty damn quick. There's also the beating on your joints to take into account.

A study by the Mayo Clinic has determined that extended cardio vascular exercises actually have long-term and frightening effects on the hearts of runners and others who like to push themselves to the limit.

Is too much exercise dangerous for your heart?


Engaging in too much strenuous physical activity can potentially take a very serious and lifelong toll on your health, suggests a new review published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Dr. James O'Keefe of Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City and his colleagues evaluated a series of studies on cardiovascular injury caused by excessive endurance exercise and found that some people who exercise too much could develop permanent damage to their cardiovascular and arterial systems.

In the short term, extreme endurance training can cause temporary damage to the heart and arteries, which eventually heals during periods of recovery. But repeated and perpetual endurance training can cause chronic injuries in some people, resulting in patchy scarring of the heart, abnormal heart rhythms and coronary heart disease. If the body is not allowed to heal properly, in other words, and is constantly pushed to extreme levels, the consequences could be severe.

According to the data, 12 percent of runners who participate in marathons were found to have patchy myocardial scarring. Runners who participate in marathons were also found to be significantly more prone to developing coronary heart disease compared to runners that do not participate in marathons. Ultra-marathon running and professional cycling were also linked to a 500 percent increased rate of atrial fibrillation, also known as abnormal heart rhythms.

Natural News

Its just like everything else in life; in moderation, its a good thing. Overdo it and you're just asking for trouble.

Almost makes being lazy look like the healthy alternative, doesn't it?

reply to post by FortAnthem


Not quite... I was developing high blood pressure, well, not really high, but getting higher, and since I started running 3 miles a day during the week it's down to around 107/65. Sitting around doing nothing was killing me. Of course, I don't plan on doing any marathons either. And I take the weekends off to recover.

I knew it as well! A few hours jogging a week is perfect, 4+ a day is probably pushing it. Steady state jogging, barely out of breath is the way to go not near on killing yourself, throwing up or collapsing.. lol.

If you feel like you might die.. you're probably not doing it right.

reply to post by TechUnique


Agreed

reply to post by FortAnthem


Over several years I have heard on the news or from a neighbor and/or friendly acquaintance about people who where physically fit, they ate right, exercised, got enough sleep etc. ...and many died from a heart attack while they were exercising.

I think 3 times per week is enough exercise for many.

Soooo......how does sex fall into this catagory? And should I stick to 3 times a week? Or can I compete in the bedroom olympics?

It's been known for a while that a j-curve exists between exercise intensity/duration and mortality.

You need to push yourself within reason to get the benefits.

I'm pretty certain that most athletes are aware of this, however, the internal debate as it were, is one concerning not only the duration but more importantly the quality of life.

I, for one, would rather lose a couple of years near the end of my life, but be able to fully enjoy it while I get there.

No one can deny that being in great physical health is a crucial part to the full enjoyment of life. (Or perhaps some can.)

Of course, there are no certainties, so to each their own!

the Billmeister

The cynic in me discounts any evidence from the world of professional cycling - they are all on drugs, therefore their data is useless.

However, two of Australia's best distance athletes were forced to retire with heart problems. Greg Welch said in an interview that he trained like a maniac. Emma Carney was so fit that she had a sleeping heart rate of 21. Lisa Curry Kenny was always overrated as a swimmer but there is no doubting that she was super fit.

Gregory ("Greg") John Welch OAM (born in 1964 in Campsie, Sydney, Australia) is an Australian triathlete. He is acknowledged as one of the greatest triathletes due to his remarkable dominance in winning the "The Grand Slam" which includes the ITU Triathlon World Championships (1990), The Ironman World Championship (1994), the ITU Duathlon World Championships (1993) and the Long Course Triathlon World Championship (1994). Due to his being diagnosed with Ventricular tachycardia, he has undergone nine open-heart surgeries from 2001 until 2003 and has retired from sports.

Emma Elizabeth Carney (born 29 July 1971) is an Australian former professional triathlete and two time World Triathlon Champion. She is one of the few triathletes in the world to have won two ITU world titles. Carney was forced to retire from professional triathlon in 2004 after suffering a cardiac arrest in Canada.[7] She was later diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, a life-threatening condition that causes the heart to beat too fast and out of control, usually during high-intensity anaerobic exercise

Lisa Gaye Curry AO MBE (born 15 May 1962) is a former Australian swimmer and is an Australian media personality. In 2008 Curry had heart surgery operation to implant a defibrillator after being found to have an irregular heartbeat as a consequence of a viral infection. The mother of three, who was training to compete in a long-distance canoe race in Hawaii, has been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and will have a defibrillator inserted to regulate her heart function. Doctors believe Curry-Kenny's heart muscle was damaged by a viral infection, with the problem likely compounded by her rigorous training regimen.

During the 90's I dabbled in triathlons & marathons - I think doing more than 1 marathon a year is asking for trouble. I think that Olympic distance triathlons are safe (1.5 - 40 - 10) , but ironman distance is unhealthy & crazy.

A little light-hearted humor to accompany this thread - seems appropriate

I love this Doctor!
Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart only good for so many beats, and that it...don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speeding up heart not make you live longer; it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take nap
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiency. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So steak is nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And pork chop can give you 100% of recommended daily allowance of vegetable product.
Q: Should I redu ce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that mean they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made of grain. Bottom up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No pain...good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU NOT LISTENING! Food are fried these day in vegetable oil. In fact, they permeated by it. How could getting more vegetable be bad for you?!?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy?!? HEL-LO-O!! Cocoa bean! Another vegetable! It best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming good for your figure, explain whale to me..
Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' a shape! Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And remember: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!"

AND..... For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us. CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

reply to post by Sublimecraft


You gotta tell me where to find that guy. I want him to be my doctor.

reply to post by FortAnthem
Of course too much is bad for you. Why do you think you have super fit people that die of heart attacks at 45. It isn't because of colesterol of heart desease...by the way they are not deseases, they are conditions. There's a difference. But that's for an other thread. It's because they are burnt out.

Jim Fixx
Enough said?

This makes sence because when I run I get tired pretty quickly and it feels like my heart is about to explode.