Decrease in blood flow impairs function, may explain sudden deaths, study finds
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comMarathon runners suffer temporary heart damage
Seeded on Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:01 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
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Part of the problem is, everyone thinks that he/she is the fittest runner. I thought the death of Jim Fixx helped to wake runners up to the benefits of conditioning and proper medical evaluations. It's good that there are studies like this.
BTW, Olympic marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter just ran a 5K in my area recently. My kid in JV cross-country ran faster than he did. He has had work done on his hips, he has a great attitude, he told people to smile as they ran past him, and tell him how good he was doing.
Lovely man, lovely attitude. At least he's still running. My spouse had to give it up because of gout damage in his feet.
Could there be a more incomplete study on earth? Seriously. Test a handful of people and then try and surmise that running a marathon is risky for all? Even the data showed that the fittest of those tested had no damage. So maybe it's about fitness level and not an across the board fact. Sheesh. I love these studies. Cause all kinds of alarm because a couple of people die each year running. How many runners were hit by cars and killed in that same year? How many people were run over by a cyclist while walking down the road gawking at some half-dressed woman.
The moral of the story is be fit and stay fit. And if you aren't fit, get fit in a smart way...as if running a marathon is the best way to prove one is fit.
Well, actually the article about the study did address all of your complaints: It mentioned the small sample number though to be published, statistical significance is used so a small sample is actually indicative of very high levels of variance (a bigger difference between control and experiment groups) as such a huge difference needs to be attained in order to show the variation is due to the experiment and not chance. Also, the article didn't say that running a marathon was relatively dangerous, just that some otherwise healthy people die during it and we want to understand why. Are you seriously suggesting that we shouldn't try to understand this?
"maybe it's about fitness level and not an across the board fact". Um, that's exactly the conclusion the study came to. That there is overall higher damage in marathon runner's hearts after a race but that this is probably mitigated by fitness. Did you even read the article?
I'm so tired of complaints that every study is useless because it isn't relevant to every single person out there and may not agree with their world view.
I would really like to see some studies looking at the levels of inflammation related to levels of dehydration. My guess is you will see a strong correlation. I think any serious endurance athlete can tell you a horror story about heat illness causing a collapse or near collapse and the time it takes to recover.
RIP Fran Crippen!
EmilyinIowa - I've found that most people on these boards generally have very little understanding of (and therefore no respect for) the science of statistics.
Seriously? This is news? Train and hydrate... and the most fit showed no heart damage?... Sometimes I wonder why research like this is supported...
You're right, if you just want good advice and are not at all concerned about why it is so or how anything works, research is mostly useless. If you want medical advances and to understand the underlying workings of our amazing world. Of course, sometimes things are not as they seem such as research found that stretching before many physical activities is no longer recommended for maximal performance (stretching after and at other times is still very important to maintain flexibility).
I've run two marathons in my life...after training properly with a coach the first time I ran in 3:46:48, and after 'trying' to train on my own a couple years later i ran it in 5 hours flat, and felt like hell afterwards. I know my limits and did not push them..but I surmised all by myself that training and conditioning properly makes the difference.
We're all hitting the bucket someday. I'd rather have it happen running a marathon than sitting on a couch eating ice cream and watching the Biggest Loser.
I beg your pardon, but it's 'kick the bucket,' not 'hit the bucket.' Carry on.
Rowers (Crew) may have the same issues while competing in long head races.
Long distance running is the most foolish thing a human can do. We ain't built for it! The damage to one's feet and ankles can never be undone. There are a number of videos showing the terrible strain placed on our legs from running---especially long distances.
The caveman knew this, fashioned a weapon, and killed his pursuer. Use your brain.
Remember what the first marathoner did--he dropped dead.
You are foolish. You watch too many youtube videos and get scarred because of a couple of idiotic people with a degree toot their horn and say that running is bad for you because when you land on your heel it sends a shock all the way up through your spine. Well duh, that could happen running like that. But to say humans weren't built to run?! God gave men/women legs for a reason. If we weren't built to run we wouldn't have them.
spike,
Actually our propensity for long distance running is something that sets humans apart from almost all other animals. We evolved as hunters that would run our prey to death our entire systems are designed for it. You should read more and spew less!
C'mon! First, I do not watch you-tube videos. Second, the idea of running down prey is pure Hollywood. There ain't a running critter that cannot out-run, or out-jig, a human. Competitive distance running is a result of man's competitive nature, nothing more, as are all sports. Why swim, why jump hurdles, high-jump, broad-jump, throw shot, fence, etc................................
Man used his brain to set traps, ambushes, and used weapons.
The caveman also knocked his woman over the head with a club and drug her around by her hair. I think we have evolved a bit.
@ spike in fact you are incorrect. You do not have to look to the distant past to find humans hunting prey by running them down. The Tarahumara of Mexico are considered to be the best distance runners in the world and they hunt by exactly that method. They run their prey to exhaustion.
Typically the Tarahumara run distances of 50 to 80 miles a day! Every day! Running to them is a passion, and a way of life. It is their only means of transport and it is incorporated into their rituals etc.
Ulta Marathoners (people who take on races past 26.2, usually 50+ miles) would love to race against one of the Tarahumara and annually there is a race in their area to help raise money for the tribe. They typically run either barefoot or in little sandals by the way, unlike most modern runners who think they need shoes to make their bodies perform better. Women in skirts and men will all run against the modern world's best and always beat them.
So, long story short. If we were not built to run. Tell that to this tribe that runs. Tell that to the Ethiopians that run barefoot too. That is the only way they travel. We as humans were built to cover distances. We didn't do it only by walking and hunting isn't the only reason humans had to learn to move...
Oh and Spike just so you know... Competitions were created to keep skills sharp in times when humans were not using them for other reasons. Jousting was to prepare for battles on the field for knights. Pole Vaulting started as a necessary way to travel over canals. Everyone knows the story about the first marathon.
Boxing, Wresting, the list could go on but the point is that many sports are based on keeping young people (mostly men) in fit condition. Testing their skills in competitions to prove who was the best athlete is akin to who is the best warrior. Shot put - In Scotland the stone throwing events were used in pre-Christian times as a way of determining which chieftain was the most powerful and had the most military might.
Javelin throw- well that one is self explanatory. Shall I go on?
Even today you can look at sports like football and talk about mock war with strategy and tactics...
msnbc is helping us to believe the story about American swimmer Fran Crippen who died recently during an open-water, world-championship race in UAE . . . .
100 degree air temps and 87degree water, It was amazing Fran was the only one to fall out! Such a sad, sad story!
Emily in iowa sounds like a graduate student in love with her own self importance and God knows there is no shortage of these people. Could it be Emily is funded by some grant that loves irrelevant and stupid ass studies that always tell us the obvious? No shortage of these either.
She says. " Also, the article didn't say that running a marathon was relatively dangerous, just that some otherwise healthy people die during it and we want to understand why."
Well. some have arrythmias, some get dehydrated, some die from of heat stroke, some take Adderall to help them run faster and die from a stroke or VF, some die from an electrolyte imbalance, some die for unknown reasons. Miss Iowa wants to waste thousands of dollars trying to find a reason why healthy people die in marathons, something that occurs very rarely..
May I suggest that Miss Iowa spend her time and effort on the reason people die from malaria or tuberculosis or heart disease or cancer or from any other human killer that kills at a rate 100,000 times greater than what happens to a rare runner who dies in a marathon.
I would say Miss Iowa's priorities are very screwed up.
...Because understanding dehydration and inflammation of the heart is just absolutely uesless to anyone...
You do realize that you wouldn't be quite the know-it-all had researchers not studied these things at one point in time..
I think that we've got a pretty good handle on why people die from malaria, TB, heart disease, and cancer...
Wow, I had no idea all those other things have an 80% rate of fatality! Would you please cite a study or anything to support that statement? Oh, that's right. You don't believe in them.
Why do research when we can just make up facts?
There was a study by Stanford a few years ago that determined basically the same thing:
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/16/health/he-marathon16
Sounds like this study went into more detail about what caused the damage though.
According to greek legend the person (Pheidippides) that ran the first marathon (from Marathon to Athens) died when he finished. Maybe this explains why and that the legend might really be true.
Easy on all you cynics. This is a valuable piece of research (albeit early days) that doesn't just return comfirmation on what we already knew. It is research like this that makes a real contribution to the health of individuals and communities and we owe a debt of gratitude to the researchers. You "know it all's" just remain in doors and spend all your time posting ego inflated rubbish on web sites. Just stay out of the way of people doing something substancial for humanity.
To Smokescreen: Wow...to each his/her own, I suppose. It is all about what you want to accomplish in life/death. If it was my choice, which unless I go out out of my way, would be to die knowing that I didn't just spend my last days being so selfish.
I am not saying there is not satisfaction in doing running, just seems like all that effort is wasted. It doesn't benefit anyone but the individual, at best. Help pick up trash along the highway. Help an elderly neighbor with a chore. Balance the two (self and others). Reason I say this is most "runners" seem to be so self-centered, and somewhat OC, that's all.
It is interesting to note that all the sudden death reports concern male runners. I have not heard of very many, if any, female runners succumbing to sudden death while running. Anyone have any stats?
While I think most everyone can agree that being physically fit is a very good thing, I do not believe running 26 miles races is necessarily a good thing at all. The human body was not designed to be pushed to the extreme max as it is in running and training for multiple marathons. Besides the sudden or early deaths due to heart problems, I'd like to throw out another thing. I have a pathologist friend in a major metro area. She says you'd be shocked to learn how many marathon runners die from cancers at a relatively young age. Their families are very shocked, asking how such a "healthy" and "exceptionally fit" person could possibly get cancer. Could the stress of such extreme training/running weaken the immune system or do some other kind of damage over time?
Wow,
I think you are on to something. Maybe you could do a study on this topic.
Some of these responses are kind of shocking.
What kinds of cancers? Lung cancer is an obvious choice; training in a major metropolitan area is bound to get you inhaling deeply of delicious toxic exhaust fumes.
I wonder if taking aspirin and L-arginine before or after the race might help? By increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation
Wonder where they come up with stuff like this. Nonsense!
I believe a lot of the risk from running these marathons can be minimized by scheduling these marathons for the right time of the year. I also think that conditioning and nutrition prior to the race can play a significant role in the minimalization of these health risks as well.
Interesting runner bashing comments. Wade - I don't know the runners you know, but the running group I belong to runs before the crack of dawn so as not to interfere with our families. We enter races with entry fees that benefit causes we believe in. My husband and I serve in our church, volunteer at our local school, and give to local homeless shelters. Running gives us energy to give back more. Oh yeah, and our resting heart rates are great for two 40-somethings, our blood sugar levels and blood pressure is great, and neither of us is on any meds. Our kids see our example and lead healthy lifestyles as well. As the article states, our risk of dying while running a marathon is half that of our risk driving to said marathon. I'll take the chance.
floweryone, don't get me wrong, I have been there and done it. I have also seen the pros and cons. That is all I am relaying. Short to medium runs, no problem. 20+ mile runs, that engulfs your existence. Not bashing, but am entitled to present a realistic side. I apologize if I didn't initially explain myself in greater detail. BTW, my best run (when I did it regularly) was 2 miles in 13:20 @37 years. Since a broken foot and multiple surgeries, running is not practical. But there are other ways to stay physically fit. It is all about being sensible.
About 4 years ago, I worked with a young man (32 yrs old) who was a marathon runner. He ran marathons all over the country, doing 4 or 5 a year. He went to Florida to run a half marathon for charity and near the end of it collapsed. 4 days later he was taken off of life support. It was such a shock to us because he was the picture of perfect health and vitality. We later found out he had been sick with a stomach virus in the days leading up to the run. But, since he didn't want to let his friend down that he was running with, he went ahead and did it. I have always wondered if the virus he had a couple of days before somehow contributed to his heart arresting? Or, was it something that was just a ticking time bomb in him that was going to happen eventually regardless of his current health?
I would like to see this research continue to find answers to this perplexing problem. Why do people who are otherwise completely healthy drop dead when doing some sort of long term physical exertion? People are not going to quit doing these activities. Most do it for self-satisfaction and a sense of self-accomplishment. But, I think they all need to realize sudden death from the activity is a real possibility and not something that will only happen to the other guy. If they can live with that risk (afterall, the article points out there was more risk of death from driving the marathon route), then more power to them.
Peecchy, a flu shot can help prevent a person from cardiac arrests. At first when I heard this, it sounded kind of 'way out there', but the explanation is that many happen due to complications from the flu, which puts a strain on the body, not to include any other additional factors. In other words, not getting the flu can greatly reduce your risk of getting a heart attack in the first place. Makes sense by removing such an element of cause. But still does not elminate the risk entirely, same as someone who exercises everyday. But the more positives in moderation, the better your chances for a lengthy, healthy lifespan, if that is all you are concerned with. We haven't beaten our mortality (yet). But we do have a better understanding.
A little over a year ago while running my 8th marathon I suffered cardiac arrest at mile 23. I was lucky to have a pick-up van with a cardiac nurse and defibrillator only 100 yards away, they were able to save my life. After the doctor placed 2 stints in my heart, he told me not to stop running; it had probably saved my life. I inquired more and he indicated that my condition was 100% blockage of the main artery leading to my heart, the survival rate for this type of blockage is very, very low. He indicated that because my heart was strong (from running) it was able to work around the problem. He said that if I had not been a runner I probably would have had the problem 5-10 years sooner.
3 weeks ago I completed the same marathon and had no signs of heart problems. Before you decide is running causes heart attacks, ask yourself how many people you know died in their sleep from a heart attack, or died of a heart attack while playing golf, or even died of a heart attack while at church and on and on.
For some reason non-runners thing that running causes all problems encountered by runners. Being alive cause health problems, and studies like these help us to be smarter about how we live and how we train.
Keep running!!!
Still running,
The information that you got from your doctor is the same info that my cardiologist gave me. Runners have a much better chance of surviving Heart Attacks because the training causes Collateral Vessel Growth. In other worlds extra vessels to feed the heart. When the main vessel is block the extra vessels can save you.
It seems to me that the big message here is not to stop running Marathons. The message I get is properly train to the point that the Marathon distance is not so extreme. You know Dean Karnazes? Well in his Documentary 50 Marathons in 50 days several of the Marathons that he did resulted in about a 9 min pace and an average heart rate of about 115. That is the kind of shape I would strive to be in. Where the Marathon would be like a walk in the park. Which leads me to the next thing that I have learned from this article. Instead of pushing to the max why not hold back to about 85-90%. This can easily be accomplished with a Heart Rate monitor.
I am 48 years of age and have experienced Heart Attack symptoms at the end of my first Marathon which was at the age of 47. Later I went and got checked out via stress test and Echo and they found nothing. Consequently this occured at a point where I pushed further into maximum effort than I ever have before or after. Since then I have not got to that level and I have been fine.
I am not an expert but from everything I have read I am going to: keep running, eat well (plant-based diet), stay hydrated, and not push to the max.
A
I actuall starting running regularly in my middle forties and eventually joined a running club and started running longer until my first marathon in 1999. I would have to agree with Spg64-1292127 comment about early humans humans running down their prey and we all have the ability with proper training to run distances. A very good book called,"Born to Run", made that very point. The author went to learn about the Tarahumara Indian tribe of the Copper Canyon area of Mexico and was amazed to learn entire familes could run for hours playing a very simple game of chasing a ball. some men could run for a hundred miles continuously. With modern transportation, the human race has changed. It is all about the conditioning and training and having fun.
what a load of $#%*&, someone racing 5K's all the time is more apt to die of a heart attack.
I'm not surprised. The human body is not made to be in constant motion for long periods of time.
"Actually our propensity for long distance running is something that sets humans apart from almost all other animals. We evolved as hunters that would run our prey to death our entire systems are designed for it. You should read more and spew less!"
Humans evolving into hunters that run their prey to death? That makes NO sense. Where do you get your facts? The human body is NOT designed to be in motion for long periods of time and this is why many runners drop dead in the prime of their lives.
Fact is, running, and even walking on just two legs for our ancestry is relatively new. Granted, using all four limbs in a tree can be very exhausting as well.
As nomadic tribes, humans have travelled great distances and encountered many hardships. But running is different. Yes, just like any other competitive sport, we can manipulate our bodies to perform unusual feats of strength and endurance through conditioning and training. But pushing your body 'over the limit' is something that you may never realize after the fact, since you won't be aware of the outcome. Not many of us like to discuss death, but the truth is, very few things in life done in excess or extremes are good for you. Moderation is the key. Push yourself occassionally, but to make it the norm is considered abnormal and OCD.