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Can Running Cause Brain Damage?
| August 17, 2010 | |
| Jo Wehage : Head Operations Ego |
Can long distance running cause your brain cells to leak? Perhaps, says one German study. In doing some research on various exercise techniques I stumbled across a report that claimed runners and boxers had the same amount of potentially harmful protein, S-100B, in their blood.
Elevated blood levels of S-100B protein, which leaks from certain brain cells when they are traumatized, have been shown to correlate with neuropsychological deficits.
A-ha! While I always admired you, I always knew you marathoners were a little on the crazy side.
Alright, in all fairness the perspective of the author on the piece under investigation was trying to make the point that repeated impact caused by long term running puts an amazing amount of stress on ankles, legs, knees, and hips. The cherry on his reporting cake was a reference to a German report about the surprising rise of S-100B protein in runners.
I dug deeper to get my hands on a summary of the actual study and…brace yourselves…the data was hyped a bit.
TRUE, the researchers were surprised to see such a rise in S-100B protein in the running disciplines.
TRUE, the levels for those who ran a 25k race were significantly higher than those sparring in an amateur boxing ring.
TRUE, “exhaustive” cycling and heading a soccer ball 20 times in a row (from 7.5 meters) caused no rise in S-100B levels.
Also TRUE, neuropsychological deficits are typically described at occurring at levels above 500 ng/L.
The highest mean level in the study was noted from the amateur boxing, which measured 117 nb/L. (The amateurs participated in five, two-minute rounds. Twelve rounds of heavyweight boxing is certain to bring much higher S-100B levels.) The 25k race netted a mean of 66 nb/L, although it was interesting to note that one of the eleven men measured somewhere close to 220 nb/L.
Based on that, I must conclude that the majority of my long distance running friends may not be as crazy or at-risk as I had feared. However, it does bring up an interesting question.
What would the S-100B levels compare for those running a full marathon? How about those who run a marathon just after swimming 2.4 miles and cycling for 112 miles, as in the Iron Man?
And even if the neuropsychological concerns are still hyped at more extreme sporting levels, when does a passion for a fitness activity actually do more harm than good?
The author in the original material (an M.D.) was trying to make the point that he sees far too many bad knees, damaged hips and weak backs from his running patients.
What say you runners out there? Have you engaged in routines that were too much on your body? In hindsight, are there changes you would make in your running routine? Is there a safe median of activity for the average bear?
Should runners consider a switch to cycling…or heading soccer balls at 7.5 meters?
Reference:
M. Otto, et al. “Boxing and Running Lead to a Rise in Serum Levels of S-100B Protein.” International Journal of Sports Medicine 21 (2000): 551-555
[8 Comments] [8 Comments]
Ha – this explains a lot about my husband over the years. Can’t wait to show him.
I think during my prime I could handle the pounding, and running made me stronger, but I do think I reached a point (late 40′s?) where the pounding did do more harm than good. But then again, maybe it could have been prevented with a better stride, shoes and proper running discipline. My wife would agree to the crazy part though.
How much running is too much? How often? Also, how about if you run in the woods (soft surface) as opposed to cement (more jarring)? I run about 3.5 miles, usually in the woods, but sometimes in my ‘hood. Is that too much? I definitely feel knee, hip and back pounding going on, but not so much on a soft earth surface. Also, why would swimming effect this, if you’re weightless? Is it the exercise itself, or the pounding in gravity?
Need to know! At 50, I need to exercise for my physical and mental health and are well as to stave off the weight gains that come from the slowing metabolism that comes from menopause. Also, many studies show that 1/2 hour of aerobic exercise a day oxygenates the brain cells and this helps the prevention of Alzheimer’s, which runs in my family!
I do believe there are exercise addicts out there, and marathoners are crazy! They can’t be doing it for their health, since they are ruining their bodies. I see so many of them limp into my yoga classes!
Hey Rosanna! How much is too much depends on a whole host of variables. The research I saw made no claims or references for repeated running events, only the impact of the harmful protein after one running event. The M.D. I cited mentions the impact of the “pounding” of running on the body, so yes cement would be worse than the woods, which is worse than swimming (which would have no “impact” type force). Some references claim the impact on ankles, legs, knees and hips from each running step is about 3x your body weight. I saw one example of the impact on a 150-pound runner. The typical stride would result in eight hundred to a thousand steps per mile, which equates to about 120 tons of collective force per mile. Keep in mind, I’m no expert on running, this is just the summary of some research that made me go hmmmmm… so I thought I’d share. Namaste:)
I started running 5k’s 20 years ago and evolved to a few Marathons about 10years ago. Without question, the benefits far outweigh any possible negatives. But I think 26.1 miles is farther than God intended for most mortals to run. One thing I have learned in the last ten years is to listen to my body more than the stop watch. If a knee or calf muscle doesn’t feel right, the smart thing to do is to either run slower and/or shorter , walk instead of run or do some less stressful non-running activity that day instead.
Thanks Jo! yeah, my anatomy book said that when we run we’re actually putting 8 times the weight of our bodies on our legs. Whew, huh? I guess power walking would be better than running, too.
Here’s a thought: don’t pound the ground.
Great article. I’ve read studies that show by developing a running “habit” a runner actually change the neurological makeup of their brains. And how would this all affect a barefoot/minimalist runner? Would it be different from a runner who wears heavy, padded shoes? Interesting stuff, but I’ll keep running all the same.