The running it is one of the most practiced sports in Italy and in the world. Its popularity continues to grow thanks also to the benefits on the heart expressed by cardiologists from all over the planet.
The running it is one of the most widespread sports practices in Italy and in the rest of the planet. Cardiologists and Nurses continue to recommend it to all those who need it for health reasons, or simply to lose weight.
As we said, the popularity of marathons and long-distance running continues to reap acclaim. But the same goes for the number of studies examining whether constant endurance races are healthy. This is what the Americans report of Heart.org.
Recent research has raised alarms about the potential buildup of plaque (atheroma) and scarring in the heart in some long-distance runners. However, other studies have suggested that when marathon runners have heart disease, they may be able to hold out better than non-runners.
What is not in question, however, is the power to get up from the couch, which is often lacking (laziness is always difficult to eradicate).
“Any type of aerobic exercise has a positive effect on the heart,” said the doctor Dan Meyer, head of heart transplant at Baylor Scott & White Health a Dallas – running is a very efficient mode of exercise. Sometimes it can be relaxing and relieves stress. I find it has both emotional and physical benefits ”.
The roots of the modern marathon go back to the legendary Greek story of the messenger Filippide. He ran the distance from Marathon to Athens, about 25 miles, to announce “Nike!” (victory) over the Persian army.
Some reports say that Fidippide had already traveled 150 miles in two days. And most of the stories say he collapsed from exhaustion after his announcement.
Fast forward a few thousand years and depending on the good temperatures and the local climate, the racing season is always in full swing somewhere. And from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Los Angeles, the marathon lineup grows every spring and fall.
In 1976, some 25,000 runners finished marathons in the United States, second Running USA, a non-profit organization that promotes distance running. Forty years later, in 2016, more than 507,000 people had done so.
Doctor Peter McCullough, head of cardiovascular research at the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute di Dallas, completed 54 marathons, one in each state. But it stopped in 2012, after saying research showing the potential dangers didn’t make them worthy of the risk.
“I thought there was enough evidence that I wasn’t willing to pay the final price,” he said McCullough, which still runs but for 5 or 6 miles at a time. I am convinced that going to grind for hours and hours at a constant pace is the wrong thing. Some experts are divided on this, and the concern is that it might dissuade some people from exercising, but we can’t bury our heads about it. “
He would like to see more research, such as a widespread registry of athletes involved in endurance sports, and ultimately, a clinical trial that includes MRI results.
McCullough was part of the 2012 study that used MRI to identify long-distance runners whose right atrium and ventricle dilated immediately after a marathon and up to 24 hours later. It also included blood tests that showed an increase in biomarkers that are indicators of stress and heart injury.
“Our theory is that 25 percent of people are susceptible to this recurrent heart injury” – he added McCullough.
A smaller subset, estimated around 1%, may be prone to scarring. Myocardial fibrosis or scarring of the heart can lead to heart failure.
A study published in 2017 on triathletes showed that 18% of male participants, those who trained and competed more, had more heart scars than other athletes.
Meyer, who has finished 16 marathons, tries to maintain a set of daily runs, even if it’s just a few miles a day. He said federal guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week or at least 75 minutes at vigorous intensity “are reasonable and promote long-term heart health.”
He pointed to a study of the Stanford University released in 2008 focused on runners and non-runners in their fifties. Researchers have tracked them for more than two decades.
At the start of the study, the runners ran about four hours a week on average. After 21 years, their running time dropped to an average of 76 minutes per week, but they were still seeing health benefits. 19 years into the study, 34 percent of non-runners had died compared with 15 percent of runners.
Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist at Mount Carmel Health Systems in Columbus, Ohio, said he doesn’t want studies that apply to a segment of hardcore long-distance runners to dissuade others from exercising.
“The sedentary lifestyle rates in this country are shocking” – said the doctor US.
In 2005, Sabgir has estabilished Walk with a Doc, a health program that brings doctors and patients together to walk in their communities. It is now present in 473 sites in 25 countries.
Sabgir, who ran about 10 marathons, was recently on a 4-mile run with friends and they agreed on the many other benefits.
“This social connection is probably just as beneficial for physical activity. I’ve been so focused on cardiovascular, but there are reductions in mental illness, arthritis and cancers… The power of exercise can be miraculous “- he concluded. McCullough.
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