It’s possible to run too much
Can too much running be too much of a good thing? According to a recent study, published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, the answer may be yes.
Researchers found that those who were classified as moderate runners, those who ran only three times a week at a 6 to 7 mile per hour pace and ran between one to 2.4 hours a week in total, had a lower risk of mortality compared to those who ran more frequently and those who were sedentary. In addition, those who were more intense runners had the same risk of death as individuals who do not run at all.
“There may be an upper limit for exercise dosing that is optimal for health benefits,” said Dr. Peter Schnohr, lead study author, in a statement. “It is important to emphasize that the pace of jogging corresponds to very vigorous exercise. When performed for decades, this activity level could pose health risks, especially to the cardiovascular system.”
However, not everyone is convinced by the findings of the study.
“I’ve heard this topic addressed and for myself I am not convinced. Everything in life, if you take it to excess, can become harmful,” says Dr. Charles Crotteau, a family medicine physician with Advocate Medical Group at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, and an avid marathon runner.
Dr. Crotteau recommends adults to participate in at least forty-five minutes of aerobic exercise a day for five to six days a week and for kids sixty minutes each day.
“When my patients tell me they want to run in a race, I highly recommend it. The health benefits of running are profound,” Dr. Crotteau says.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
There are a lot of variables that studies don’t take into account. Age, weight, diet and stress are just a few examples. You can be an overweight avid runner that eats poorly and still be at risk for serious health problems. Did the study take this into account? We really don’t know how they arrived at there conclusion. This is the fundamentally problems with studies like this. If you want to live a longer healthy life you need to take control of it!
I wouldn’t believe very much from this “study”. There are obvious profound benefits to running, especially as a lifetime sport. You can’t say that this is a once size fits all issue; everyone is different. These studies don’t include the variations between people and their genetics etc. Anything that isn’t taken in moderation can become harmful, it’s all dependent on the individual.