Re: Running in marathons impairs immunity

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
 John 'the Man'  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Old news. As always, toothless John is "cutting edge." Make your parents 
proud, move out.

> Vitamins No Magic Bullet for Endurance Runners
> http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_14712.html   
> "Reuters Health
> By Merritt McKinney
> Monday, November 17, 2003
> 
> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Loading up on vitamins won't help athletes
> recover from a marathon or other endurance event, according to a North
> Carolina researcher. 
> 
> But drinking a sports drink every hour during an extreme workout may
> do the trick. 
> 
> The secret is in the carbohydrates -- mainly sugar -- found in sports
> drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, 10-K and Quick Kick, according to Dr.
> David C. Nieman of Appalachian State University in Boone."
> 
> SOURCE:
> Interview with Dr. David C. Nieman of Appalachian State University in
> Boone, NC.
> 
> IN RELATED RESEARCH:
> Nieman DC. 
> Current perspective on exercise immunology.
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids
> =12959703&dopt=Abstract
> Curr Sports Med Rep. 2003 Oct;2(5):239-42. Review. 
> PMID: 12959703 
> 
> ------------------------
> This Article Concluded:
>    
> "Although moderate exercise may boost the immune system, research has
> shown that pushing the body's limits during an endurance activity like
> a marathon can temporarily weaken the immune system, Nieman told
> Reuters Health in an interview. Because of this, endurance athletes
> are at increased risk of illness following an event, according to
> Nieman. 
> 
> The North Carolina researcher, a marathon runner himself, explained
> that when people exercise for 90 minutes or more without taking a
> break, carbohydrate stores in the body drop. The brain senses this
> decline and releases large amounts of stress hormones, Nieman said. 
> 
> The release of stress hormones leads to "huge changes" in the immune
> system, Nieman explained. This immune effect can last as little as 3
> to 6 hours or as long as 3 days, he said. 
> 
> These immune system changes help explain why endurance athletes are at
> increased risk of getting sick after a race, Nieman noted. 
> 
> Competing in a marathon or other endurance event is "like climbing a
> mountain," Nieman said. It's dangerous, but "we do what we can to make
> it safe." 
> 
> According to Nieman, the best way to keep the immune system strong is
> to maintain the body's stores of carbs during rigorous exercise. 
> 
> There has been hope that vitamin supplements may help endurance
> athletes keep their immune defenses up. But in three studies, Nieman
> and his colleagues at Appalachian found that runners who took 1,000 to
> 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C each day for a week before a race fared
> no better than runners who took a dummy placebo pill. 
> 
> Vitamin C had no effect on the negative immune system changes or on
> stress, according to Nieman. 
> 
> Nieman and his colleagues also found that vitamin E was no help
> either. In fact, too much vitamin E may be harmful to athletes,
> according to Nieman."
> 
> ------------------------
> The Abstract Concluded:
> 
> "By far, the most important finding that has emerged from exercise
> immunology studies is that positive immune changes take place during
> each bout of moderate physical activity. Over time, this translates to
> fewer days of sickness with the common cold and other upper
> respiratory tract infections. This is consistent with public health
> guidelines urging individuals to engage in near-daily physical
> activity of 30 minutes or more. Risk of upper respiratory tract
> infections can increase when athletes push beyond normal limits. The
> infection risk is amplified when other factors related to immune
> function are present, including exposure to novel pathogens during
> travel, lack of sleep, severe mental stress, malnutrition, or weight
> loss. Many components of the immune system exhibit adverse change
> after prolonged, heavy exertion lasting longer than 90 minutes. These
> immune changes occur in several compartments of the immune system and
> body (eg, the skin, upper respiratory tract mucosal tissue, lung,
> blood, and muscle). During this "open window" of impaired immunity
> (between 3 and 72 hours, depending on the immune measure), viruses and
> bacteria may gain a foothold, increasing the risk of subclinical and
> clinical infection."
> 
> ------------------------
> Comment:
> 
> Here is another idiotic health news story that babbles on about
> vitamins not being effective under a very bizarre set of
> circumstances.  Who cares?
> 
> When it comes to exercise, a lot of people like to take an extreme
> position.  Either they claim that they exercise because they do Hatha
> Yoga (ie, the extreme of deficiency), or they insist upon running in
> those 26 mile marathons (ie, the extreme of excess).  Marathon runners
> are really an insane group of people.
> 
> What is important here is that "positive immune changes take place
> during each bout of moderate physical activity. Over time, this
> translates to fewer days of sickness with the common cold and other
> upper respiratory tract infections."
> 
> The immune system is what keeps people from coming down with cancer as
> we age.  And, it is moderate exercise that builds up your immune
> system; rather than being enticed into running a marathon and other
> extreme forms of exercise.
> 
> "Many components of the immune system exhibit adverse change after
> prolonged, heavy exertion lasting longer than 90 minutes."  Thus, 90
> minutes should be the maximum length for all workworks, particularly
> for continuous exercise activities.
> 
> By paying attention to your exercise intensity, such as with METs, it
> is better for your heart to cram more intensity into a shorter workout
> than to perform low-intensity activities over a longer duration.
> --
> John Gohde,
>      Achieving good Health is an Art, NOT a Science!
> 
> Health-with-Attitude is a support group for people 
> trying to follow a Healthy Lifestyle.
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Health-with-Attitude/

-- 
Will Brink

http://www.brinkzone.com/
http://musclebuildingnutrition.com/
http://www.aboutsupplements.com/