{"id":795069,"date":"2019-04-22T21:20:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T03:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart\/"},"modified":"2019-04-22T21:20:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T03:20:00","slug":"is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Is long-distance running good for the heart?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.459940652819\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-364821-390\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/DistanceRunning-SDN-042319-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/DistanceRunning-SDN-042319.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Participants take off for the the Run the Rockies race on Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Frisco.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/DistanceRunning-SDN-042319.jpg\" alt=\"Participants take off for the the Run the Rockies race on Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Frisco.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Participants take off for the the Run the Rockies race on Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Frisco.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/DistanceRunning-SDN-042319-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/DistanceRunning-SDN-042319-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | 2018 Run The Rockies half-marathon winner Bobby Craig of Frisco leads the pack during the Run the Rockies race Saturday, June 2, 2018 near Frisco.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/DistanceRunning-SDN-042319-1.jpg\" alt=\"2018 Run The Rockies half-marathon winner Bobby Craig of Frisco leads the pack during the Run the Rockies race Saturday, June 2, 2018 near Frisco.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>2018 Run The Rockies half-marathon winner Bobby Craig of Frisco leads the pack during the Run the Rockies race Saturday, June 2, 2018 near Frisco.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As you can tell by all those 26.2-mile bumper stickers popping up around the country, the popularity of marathons and long-distance running continues to grow. But so has the number of studies examining whether consistent endurance racing is healthy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Recent research has raised alarms about the potential for plaque buildup and scarring in the heart in some long-distance runners. Yet other studies have suggested that when marathoners get heart disease, they may be able to weather it better than non-runners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">What isn\u2019t being debated, however, is the power of getting off the couch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAny type of aerobic exercise has a positive effect on the heart,\u201d said Dr. Dan Meyer, chief of cardiac transplantation at Baylor Scott &amp; White Health in Dallas. \u201cRunning is such an efficient mode of exercise. It can be relaxing and a stress reliever at times. I find it having as much emotional benefits as physical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The roots of today\u2019s modern marathon reach back to the legendary Greek story of the messenger Phidippides. He ran the distance from Marathon to Athens, about 25 miles, to announce \u201cNike!\u201d (victory) over the Persian army.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Some accounts say Phidippides already had covered 150 miles in two days. And most of the stories say he collapsed from exhaustion after his announcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Fast forward a few thousand years and, depending on good temperatures and local climate, running season always is in full swing somewhere. And from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Los Angeles, the lineup of marathons grows each spring and fall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In 1976, about 25,000 runners finished marathons in the U.S., according to Running USA, a nonprofit that promotes distance running. Forty years later, in 2016, more than 507,000 people had.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Dr. Peter McCullough, chief of cardiovascular research at Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute in Dallas, has completed 54 marathons, one in every state. But he stopped in 2012, after he said research showing the potential dangers made them not worth the risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI thought there was enough evidence that I wasn\u2019t willing to pay the ultimate price,\u201d said McCullough, who still runs but for 5 or 6 miles at a time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019m convinced that to go grind it out for hours on end at a steady pace is the wrong thing,\u201d he said. \u201cSome experts are divided about this, and the concern is that it could dissuade some people from exercising, but we just can\u2019t bury our heads about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He\u2019d like to see more research, such as a widespread registry of athletes involved in endurance sports and eventually a clinical trial that includes MRI results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">McCullough was part of the 2012 study that used MRIs to identify the 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 elevation in biomarkers that are indicators of heart stress and injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOur theory is that 25 percent of people are susceptible to this recurrent injury of the heart,\u201d McCullough said. A smaller subset, he estimates about 1 percent, could be prone to scarring. Myocardial fibrosis, or scarring of the heart, can lead to heart failure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A study published in 2017 on triathletes showed that 18 percent of the male participants, those who trained and competed the most, had more heart scarring than the other athletes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Meyer, who has finished 16 marathons, tries to keep a daily running streak going, even if it\u2019s a few miles a day. He said federal guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week or at least 75 minutes at a vigorous intensity \u201care reasonable and promote heart health for the long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He pointed to a Stanford University study published in 2008 that focused on runners and nonrunners in their 50s. Researchers tracked them for more than two decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At the beginning of the study, the runners ran an average of about four hours a week. After 21 years, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes a week, but they were still seeing health benefits. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of nonrunners had died compared with 15 percent of runners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist with Mount Carmel Health Systems in Columbus, Ohio, said he doesn\u2019t want studies that apply to one segment of hardcore long-distance runners to dissuade others from getting into exercise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe sedentary rates in this country are shocking,\u201d he said. In 2005, Sabgir founded Walk with a Doc, a health program that brings doctors and patients together to walk in their communities. It\u2019s now at 473 sites in 25 countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Sabgir, who has run about 10 marathons, was on a 4-mile run with friends recently and they agreed about the many other benefits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat social connectedness is probably equally beneficial to the physical activity,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been so cardiovascular-focused, but there are reductions in mental health diseases, arthritis and cancers. \u2026 The power of exercise can be miraculous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editorheart.org. American Heart Association News covers heart disease, stroke and related health issues. Not all views expressed in American Heart Association News stories reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to the American Heart Association News. See full terms of use. HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Participants take off for the the Run the Rockies race on Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Frisco.Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com 2018 Run The Rockies half-marathon winner Bobby Craig of Frisco leads the pack during the Run the Rockies race Saturday, June 2, 2018 near Frisco.Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com Show CaptionsHide Captions As you can tell [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-795069","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-14 21:09:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795069\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}