Cardiovascular Damage Resulting from Chronic Excessive Endurance Exercise

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Paper Summary

Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

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Paper Summary

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Marathon Runners' Hearts: Fit But Maybe Not So Fine?

This review suggests that excessive endurance exercise, such as marathon running, might have negative impacts on the heart, including changes to the heart muscle and arteries. However, much of the evidence comes from animal studies or is correlational in nature, and there are conflicting findings in the literature. Moderate exercise is still much better than no exercise.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Weaknesses

Animal studies

The review includes findings from animal models of intensive exercise. However, humans and animals respond to exercise differently, so direct comparisons cannot be made.

Correlation does not imply causation

The review often uses correlation to suggest causation. For example, some marathon runners showed higher rates of coronary artery calcification (CAC), but this alone doesn't mean running marathons caused it.

Rating Explanation

This review summarizes existing evidence and raises an important question, but relies heavily on correlational data and animal studies. It does not provide definitive proof that excessive endurance exercise is harmful to humans, and more research is needed. The reliance on animal models and correlational evidence limits the paper to a 3.

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