Comments on Study of Heart Damage in Endurance Athletes – Triathletes
A recent study suggesting that heart damage may be incurred by endurance athletes has been getting some big media attention over the last day. An excerpt of one of the articles:
In a small study published online in Wednesday’s issue of the European Heart Journal, Australian researchers said they found that some athletes who participate in events such as marathons, endurance triathlons and alpine cycling showed reversible damage to the right ventricle of the heart — one of the organ’s four chambers involved in pumping blood.
Of the 40 elite athletes studied, five showed evidence of more permanent damage. The scarring or fibrosis of the heart muscle showed up on MRIs.
…”Virtually all of the changes in the athletes’ hearts had resolved one week after having taken part in a competitive event.”
The unresolved question is whether extreme exercise may cause injury to the heart that does not heal completely in some athletes, he added in a release.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/12/07/marathon-heart-damage-endurance.html
This is a fun story for the press but it just seems to be stating the obvious from the perspective of muscle tissue. Every time we exercise we damage muscle tissue. The heart is muscular.
The curiosity that I derive from this study is whether the right ventricle is working harder or under different stresses than the left ventricle and thus incurring greater trauma. The right ventricle is responsible for expelling oxygen depleted blood while the left ventricle is pumping oxygen rich blood to the body. What would make the right ventricle more susceptible to trauma? Any cardiologists in the room?
The heart, blood and oxygen transport are such critical factors in endurance performance. It’s always interesting to hear greater details about well performed research in this area.
Fascinating stuff!
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