Endurance sports may cause heart damage

[Broadside]

did anyone read these articles recently?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16048121
http://news.menshealth.com/do-endurance-sports-damage-your-heart/2011/12/08/

some researchers have suggested that strenuous exercise should be limited to once per week. strenuous defined as more than 10 mins at 80% MHR. Every ride I do is in that zone and at the weekend I will ride for 3hrs+ in that zone.

the researchers also stressed that more analysis/research is required and that they didn't want to put anyone off exercise, but it is a worry all the same.

what do you all think?

 

[derrick]

They wil be telling us breathing is bad for you soon,

 

[Hacienda71]

For some of us, me included, if we don't exercise at that level we increase our risk of heart attack due to high cholesterol levels, suffer depression and find it hard to lose weight. I would expect for most the benefits of cycling and running etc out weigh the risk.
I am always a little circumspect about health scares. We should all have CJD, swine flu, salmonella and the norro virus from beef, chicken, eggs and oysters if the press are to be believed.
I think I will continue to go for long cycle rides.

 

[Red Light]

They wil be telling us breathing is bad for you soon,

But not breathing is even worse

 

[BluesDave]

We were outrunning bears, wolves, sabretooth tigers, mammoths and Roman legions not so long ago. Total & absolute b*****s.

 

[tyred]

Being born is a bad for your health. Sooner, or later, you will die.

In the meantime, I will continue to live my life as I please and ignore all the health scares.

 

[Klaus]

If you overdo it it's bad for you, whatever it is. But you need to find the limits yoursel!

 

[yello]

We were outrunning bears, wolves, sabretooth tigers, mammoths and Roman legions not so long ago.

I doubt it. Probably using our cunning to hide, or climb trees etc.

I wouldn't dismiss the report out of hand. What it says does make sense. The heart is a muscle and clearly can be damaged if it doesn't get adequate time to recover and repair. That's the crux of it for me though - knowing how much recovery time to allow.

 

[snorri]

Moderation in all things.

 

[Paul.G.]

One thing is for sure, we will all die from "something" one day so I will go for being taken out by something I enjoy, sod it, I for one will keep going eyeballs out!

 

[Zoiders]

It' certainly not bollocks.

Over exertion can damage any muscle.

The article does seem to point out the dangers for ultra distance events and elite level athletes though, joe blogs with a less than maximal heart rate compared to a younger or fitter athlete is probably not at risk of blowing his heart out through over use even if they are at 80% of their own MHR.

Young althletes, footballers and and soldiers have been known to drop dead because of pre-existing thinning of the heart wall that burts when the wall gets stretched, it's very a dangerous thing if it's not spotted and it is now something they screen for so the study is most certainly based on fact, it makes sense that they would look for long term dangers as well.

 

[Mozzy]

A 'cunning stunt' for marketing. What a load of bohollocks! I plan to live forever anyway ... so far so good

 

[broomwagon]

F*$k me I'd better take it easy, I'm doing turbo sessions every other evening and walking 4-5 miles at a good pace up onto the moor every other day as part of my job!

 

[ColinJ]

On the other hand - Tour de France riders live longer so who do you believe?

If someone could prove to me that doing lots of exercise would kill me at at 80, or I could veg out and die at 90, I would choose the burning out option rather than the fizzling out alternative! I watched both my parents slowly weaken and die; it's not a good way to go. I'd rather die much more suddenly than that!

 

[Davidc]

Not now, but I used to be a high-level exercise addict.

When I had a heart attack a few years ago* I was told by the cardiologist that having been very fit when younger was a significant factor in still being alive (along wih still being physically fit).

Very small study size. Not repeated anywhere.

I'll still be getting on my bike and riding up the hills whenever I get the opportunity be that once or twenty times a week.

*Not as a result of over-exercising!