For unmatched cardiovascular benefits, you'd best hit the 26-mile track: marathon training is seeing improvements in heart health among young and middle-aged runners.
Pounding the pavement has long been known to get the blood pumping, though recent events-turned-urban-legends of older runners suffering heart attacks have prompted further research into the benefits - or indeed pitfalls - of long distance running. A new study, presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session, looked at 45 male runners aged 35 to 65, all in training for the Boston Marathon. None were elite runners, and all were looking to improve their endurance and cardiovascular fitness in the lead-up to the event. The training program was designed for an 18-week period, and comprised of anywhere from 12 to 36 miles of track time per week - based on the stage of the program and proximity to the marathon date.
At the start of the study, all the of the marathon trainees were subject to health checks, with more than half presenting with at least one kind of cardiovascular risk factor. High blood pressure, a family history of heart disease, and high cholesterol were the most common, though overall the group was fitter than initially expected.
"We chose charity runners because we wanted to focus on the non-elite type of runner, just the average Joe who decides to get out there and train for a marathon," said lead investigator Dr. Jodi Zilinski of the Massachusetts General Hospital in a press release. "They turned out to be a healthier population than we expected with a lot of them already exercising on a pretty regular basis, but they were still nowhere near the levels of elite runners."
The men's vital stats were taken again at the end of the 18-week training program, before they took to the streets of Boston. Overall, they experienced small yet significant improvements across the board - five percent drop in harmful cholesterols, a four percent drop in overall cholesterol, a 15 percent decrease in tricglycerides and one percent decrease in total body fat. Their peak oxygen consumption also saw a drop of four percent, indicating improved lung health.
"Overall, participants experienced cardiac remodeling - improvements in the size, shape, structure and function of the heart. Even with a relatively healthy population that was not exercise naïve, our study participants still had overall improvements in key indices of heart health," said Dr. Zilinski.
It's unknown if marathon training would have the same benefits with female runners of comparable fitness, with further research required to verify the findings.
