Endurance Exercise Training and the Heart – the Risk versus Benefits Introduction

Endurance exercise training is still something of a controversial topic when it comes to assessing its risks vs. benefits on the heart. Some researchers argue that the so-called risks of endurance exercise training on the heart are poorly understood outcomes of tests, whose data is incorrectly interpreted (Kindermann & Scharhag, 2016). Others indicate that “prolonged exercise and exercise training can adversely affect cardiac function in some individuals” (Eijsvogels, Fernandez & Thompson, 2015, p. 99). As always, there is no hard and fast rule that applies to every body type. For most individuals endurance exercise training has a positive effect on the heart (Nummela, Hynynen, Kaikkonen & Rusko, 2016). However, for some people with certain body types, medical history, and family health history, endurance exercise training may pose certain risks for their heart health. So it is really a matter of understanding where one’s personal limitations are and not so much a matter of identifying certain types of physical exercise as risky in and of themselves. As Nummela et al. (2016) point out, it is essential that “in order to promote and maintain health and to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, all healthy adults need either moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a minimum of 30 min on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days each week” (p. 7). Heart health has, in other words, been shown to be supported by moderate and vigorous exercise, which means that exercise itself is a good thing for people to do regularly. The important factor to keep in mind is what type of exercise is best for the type of body and medical history an individual has.

Risks

The studies show that personalizing one’s exercise routine...

That indicates that endurance exercise training is not going to be of benefit to everyone and that it will pose certain risks to some people. What are those risks? One of the main risks of prolonged exposure to endurance exercise training is the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (Eijsvogels et al., 2015). “Exercise-related cardiac events,” as Eijsvogels et al. (2015, p. 99), are health complications that result from the individual engaging in active exercise of the body. There are also other heart risks that can be associated with endurance exercise for some people, such as atrial fibrosis (Kindermann & Scharhag, 2016)—though in order for this to occur in humans as it does in rats over a period of time, the human would have to be exercising at an extremely high level for 10 years running without a break—and that is so unlikely to occur that it is not even considered a real threat. However, other acute effects on cardiovascular and other effects that can negatively impact a person’s health include “cardiac biomarkers, including ‘myocardial’ creatine kinase, cardiac troponins, and cardiac natriuretic peptides” (Eijsvogels et al., 2015, p. 99). Obviously, if one is exercising too much, myocardial creatine kinase can damage the heart and muscles because of the enzymes released. The same is true of cardiac troponins and natriuretic peptides. Some people’s bodies are going to be more susceptible to this kind of risk than others.
That this kind of damage can occur does not mean that it will occur. For some people, endurance exercise activity is very healthy for them and their bodies handle the activities very well without any negative side effects being caused. Professional athletes for example engage in endurance exercise training quite frequently and their bodies hold up for many years, allowing them…