'Runner's High' May Also Strengthen Hearts

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Dr. Mercola
December 25 2007

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'Runner's High' May Also Strengthen Hearts

Endorphins and other are by your body during exercise, causing an experience known as “runner’s high”. But these chemicals may also protect you from heart attacks.

Researchers showed that blocking the receptors that bind morphine, endorphins and other opioids eliminates the cardiovascular benefits of exercise.

Studies have long demonstrated that regular vigorous exercise reduces the risk of heart attacks and improves survival rates following heart attacks. Exercise also decreases the risk of atherosclerosis, stroke, osteoporosis and depression. However, how exercise produces these benefits is still not well understood.

Sources:

Science Blog November 8, 2007

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Community Comments (7)

Posted On Dec 21, 2007

Although I have enjoyed this "runners' high" myself, according to the author of P.A.C.E . Dr. Sears, the runners' high is an indication that you are stressing your heart out.

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samurai

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foxtroter_203

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Posted On Dec 21, 2007

Dr. Sears also states that aerobic exercise trains the body to store fat!! Ugh!!

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Russ Bianchi

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Posted On Dec 27, 2007

Sorry, Barry Sears has licensed his brand and name, and pushed Hershey made WACS bars, and the WW II study he bases his original 'Zone' book on, has NEVER been duplicated, and when he funded such a study with the track team at SF State University, he pulled the funding on it, when the results indicated he (Sears ) was WRONG.

Sears is good at selling fad titles (like Atkins was) and very short on real science.

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Magnolia

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Posted On Dec 30, 2007

Based on personal experience, I believe Dr. Barry Sears to be wrong relative to the theory that aerobic exercise trains the body to store fat. My work requires me to do moderate exercise for an average of eight hours a day. Not aerobic exercise so much as strength and weight bearing. My company among other things, offers a service of residential green cleaning. I've done this for eighteen years and in the past ten, have put on weight, little by little.

It wasn't until I recently joined the Y and began a very gentle 15 minute aerobic workout each morning that the weight has begun to come off. Not a high intensity gasping-for-breath workout, but 15 minutes of moderately challening walking on the treadmill. I stretch for about 5 minutes or more after, then shower and go off to clean houses all day.

No dietary changes were made; just that little bit of exercise added. If Dr. Sears were correct in his belief, it would stand to reason that I would gain weight instead of losing it.

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Posted On Dec 21, 2007

Interesting, does it actually work in humans?

Mary

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mmc88121

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Posted On Dec 24, 2007

My understanding is that long distance runners hearts are typically larger than the average person's heart. Being that the heart is a muscle, that would make sense.

The article caused me to think of the little known Indian runners of the native American culture of times past,... who once carried messages across the continent by running hundreds of miles at a time. They paled even the ultra marathon runners of today.

While I was a runner for years, ... as much as possible, I restricted my running to near by golf courses where I could avoid the joint wearing impact of pounding the pavement. .... Later on I moved to long distance swimming and competive cycling,.. much easier on the bones and joints.

I had an acquaintence who was an ultra marathon runner for years. By the time he reached his forties, he had worn down the discs in his vertebra from all the years of pounding the pavement. ....

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Posted On Dec 25, 2007

While I don't think pavement is healthy, I do believe one can run fully healthfully on varying natural terrain. Posture is the key. If one runs in perfect alignment the impact will actually build cartilage. If one is out of alignment the body will be working out of it's functional design and wear out on the stress points. The Egoscue method has worked well for me in this realm, but with a good teacher, I'm sure other methods can get the proper posture muscles firing again.

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