You might want to skip your morning run. A new study is suggesting that too much running, the sport that has been hailed for losing weight, reducing stress, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, can end your life early.
According to CBS News, the study has tied too much running to a shorter lifespan. HealthDay reported that high-mileage marathon runners and people who get no exercise tend to have shorter lifespans than moderate runners, individuals that run a total of two to three hours per week.
"Our study didn't find any differences that could explain these longevity differences," Dr. Martin Matsumura, co-director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa., told HealthDay.
The findings were announced Sunday at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Researchers looked at 3,800 male and female runners who average age 46.
HealthDay reported that about 70 percent of respondents reported running more than 20 miles a week. All participants were members of Masters Running Study. Researchers questioned respondents about their history of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease. Factors such as painkiller (NSAID) use were ruled out.
"The study negates the theory that excessive use of NSAIDs may be causing this loss of longevity among high-mileage runners," Matsumura said.
The researchers said that none of the factors explained why high-mileage runners have shorter lives. Matsumura adding, "I certainly don't tell patients 'Don't run' ... What we still don't understand is defining the optimal dose of running for health and longevity."
Study co-author James O'Keefe, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri believes "too much wear and tear on the body" is responsible for the shorter life spans connected to high-mileage running. O'Keefe recommends running at a slow to moderate pace two or three times a week for a total of two and a half hours.
"If you want to run a marathon... run one and cross it off your bucket list," O'Keefe said.
