This report is not the best news for exercise enthusiasts because it turns out that too much exercise can be bad for your heart! Scientists looked at data on how regular exercise affects the heart from 6 exercise studies, which were tested on 1,687 people and the results were shocking! It turns out that 1 in 10 hard core exercisers' blood pressure, insulin levels, and 'good' HDL cholesterol levels had been affected in a negative way.
While this may be crazy news for some, some other lazies among us may rejoice at the results as they find another excuse not to hit the gym. But rest assured, the results don't mean you should stop exercising all together! While scientists found that strenuous exercise was linked to two risk factors of heart disease, they were stumped by how something that's so good for you can be deadly… So what's the reason?
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The study, conducted by professor Claude Bouchard of genetics and nutrition at Louisiana State University, found that there are many other factors to consider, such as genetics. Prof. Bouchard recommends that intense exercisers get their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels tested regularly. Although genetics may play a role, a previous study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine claims that endurance training has shown evidence to damage the heart.
That older study showed that 50 percent of hardcore exercisers displayed signs of heart damage. Early symptoms of cardiac disease in veteran athletes were discovered as well which increased their heart attack risk. Gasp!
However, study authors concluded that underlying health problems may have more to do with those exercisers who are affected by heart disease. It's still recommended that people participate in moderate to high intensity exercise since the benefits outweighed the risks. Phew…
Finding out that too much exercise can be bad for your health almost gave me a heart attack–so to speak! But in the end, it's good to see that we don't have to abandon exercise all together–it's just about doing it in moderation. After all it doesn't do us any good just sitting around inactive all day either, but for those with a family history of heart disease it's probably best to get checked regularly. I guess now I don't need to be apprehensive about training for that marathon I want to participate in!
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