Can you be too fit or...?

[NorthernSky]

just seen this news. sad news but

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andrea-pinarello-dies-after-heart-attack

what causes this, is it a defect in the heart, was the heart over-worked? it's not unusual for this kind of thing to happen in sport i guess

 

[ambintw]

Sadly, over the years I've known a few people to die while/from exercising.


The first was when I was about 14, and the school's sports star collapsed and died right in front of me while we were playing hockey together on the beach in PE class.

For this reason, I always do exercise gently and make sure I don't push too hard.


Hoping you all keep safe and healthy and remember there will be plenty of people that would miss you.

 

[Red Light]

While you are exercising your risk is raised but it is lowered overall meaning you are less likely to die if you keep yourself fit. When you are older, you will have the health levels of someone ten years younger and live on average 2 years longer.

There have been large studies in Finland which showed that you are at slightly greater risk if you stop exercising though. The speculation was that in response to regular exercise your heart grows more blood vessels to supply the heart and if you stop exercising they become more prone to clogging leading to heart attacks. So if you've started you have to finish

 

[Red Light]

The first was when I was about 14, and the school's sports star collapsed and died right in front of me while we were playing hockey together on the beach in PE class.

That is probably as a result of a specific problems you can be screened for. When my daughters took up rowing seriously we had them screened and in some countries its mandatory for sports participation.

12 young people a week die from Sudden Cardiac Death but most people have never heard about it and you won't find Angie Lee campaigning for screening.

 

[Becs]

There could be an underlying heart defect that hadn't caused him any problems before, he could have had an anuerism burst, or a fatal arrhythmia caused by profound electrolyte disturbances (this happens in horses at least!), I guess they will find out if they do a post mortem. Very sad.

 

[NorthernSky]

While you are exercising your risk is raised but it is lowered overall meaning you are less likely to die if you keep yourself fit. When you are older, you will have the health levels of someone ten years younger and live on average 2 years longer.

There have been large studies in Finland which showed that you are at slightly greater risk if you stop exercising though. The speculation was that in response to regular exercise your heart grows more blood vessels to supply the heart and if you stop exercising they become more prone to clogging leading to heart attacks. So if you've started you have to finish

only 2 years longer, all this effort and i'm only going to get two years
i would have thought it to be a bit more

 

[Fiona N]

The important thing is quality years - keeping fit increases the quality years (i.e. years with no life-quality affecting illnesses) far more than just life expectancy.

Life expectancy is always a blunt statistical instrument when it comes to measuring fitness outcomes as it averages over a population so the detail is hidden. If you consider that elite endurance athletes often have lower life expectancy then the fit 'Joe Publics' have to make up for their effect on the average

 

[NorthernSky]

yeah true. better to live 65 full years than 85 unfit average ones

 

[Glover Fan]

SAD (Sudden Adult Death syndrome) is actually quite common and tends to be realised when someone is really quite fit. My wife has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which in laymans terms means that she had 2 electrical pathways in her heart, but one lies dormant for years, but when it kicks in completely at random her heart rate can jump to 230bpm+!!!, luckily she got it diagnosed at the second hospital of trying through an ECG and will be getting the random electrical pathway destroyed using keyhole surgery in the very near future. But this is one of many heart defects that can cause a "heart attack" and random death. Funnily enough my wife does get more issues when she exercises a lot and more worryingly if she drinks alcohol.

On a related note, a 34 year old Japanese footballer died today of a heart attack. A lot of footballers die of Sudden Adult Death syndrome.

Like Fiona says though, it's not something i'd worry myself about the pros far outweigh any possible cons of being fit.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Another way to consider it is, were they not fit, would they have died anyway and possibly earlier?

 

[Zoiders]

Pro cycling is not just about being fit, it can be an experience that is physically stressful enough to be life shortening.

Fitness for a certain sport does not always equate to long term health.

 

[Red Light]

Pro cycling is not just about being fit, it can be an experience that is physically stressful enough to be life shortening.

Fitness for a certain sport does not always equate to long term health.

Its been noted before that there are not a lot of old sportsmen around.

 

[Zoiders]

Its been noted before that there are not a lot of old sportsmen around.

The study you mentioned in Finland was carried out in the UK by the army medical services in the 90's as well, they had the same suspicions so they took blood from young soldiers for later comparison

 

[Albert]

I have had a heart attack (a biggy). It was caused by a lifetime (well 40 years ) of smoking, poor eating and no exercise. If someone has a heart attack and didn't work for it like I did, that is just:
1 - Bad Luck or much, much more likely 2 - an underlying undetected weakness.

Although I sustained permanent damage to my heart and will be on medication for the rest of my days, I have worked hard at gaining fitness for the last 4 years and now regularly take part in cycling events and would say that I am now on a par with many enthusiast riders of my age - 63 - and better than quite a few who are younger.

So, to answer the OP's original question. No, you cannot be too fit and within reason you cannot do too much exercise. I train between 8 and 12 hours a week.

 

[Will1985]

On a related note, a 34 year old Japanese footballer died today of a heart attack. A lot of footballers die of Sudden Adult Death syndrome.

Many of these are pre- or early- season. IMO this is not a coincidence.