Researchers have found no evidence of elevated cardiac risk in runners who completed a 24-hour ultramarathon (24UM), despite the transient elevation of blood biomarkers that measure cardiac health.
Researchers have found no evidence of elevated cardiac risk in runners who completed a 24-hour ultramarathon (24UM), despite the transient elevation of blood biomarkers that measure cardiac health. According to the study in the journal Heliyon, published by Elsevier, trained runners were more likely than their novice counterparts to experience raised levels, reflecting the greater cardiac load and pituitary-adrenocortical response to extremely strenuous exercise.
“Experienced runners performed with greater intensity and speed, which placed strains on their hearts. Novice runners ran with less intensity, which resulted in lower cardiac biomarker levels,” explained co-lead investigator, Rodrigo Hohl, PhD, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil. Professor Hohl also noted that 24UM participants self-pace for a set time and towards an established endpoint. Runners with differences in training experience and competitive performances present variations in running speeds and, therefore, cardiac biomarker responses.
“The good news is that while experienced runners pushed their heart limits during the ultramarathon, they did not show evidence of cardiac risk assessed through elevated biomarkers,” Prof. Hohl noted. “Novice runners appear to pace themselves well below their cardiac limit, self-selecting a safe pacing strategy for their hearts.
Read more at Elsevier
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay
