Repeated marathon running has no impact on the risk of coronary atherosclerosis – for better or worse, according to a new scientific study from Germany.
Some studies have suggested that habitual long distance running could increase atherosclerosis risk – while it might be expected it would improve cardiovascular health.
Researchers in Germany studied 97 marathon healthy male runners in the 2013 Munich event, asking them about their participation in events ranging from half-marathons to ultra-marathons. None of the runners were smokers.
Their findings are published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
The researchers measured arterial stiffness, intima-media-thickness and endothelial dysfunction.
They found no link between the amount of long-distance running activity and any of the measures. The only significant factor was age, they report.
Researcher Dr Axel Pressler, of the Technical University of Munich, Germany, said: “Our study shows that runners who have finished 20 marathons do not have stiffer arteries or more impaired vessel function than people of the same age who have finished five or zero marathons.
“We can conclude that marathon running itself is not a risk factor for atherosclerosis. It appears that you can run as many marathons as you want and not be in danger of developing impaired blood vessel function or atherosclerosis.”
Pressler A, et al. Running multiple marathons is not a risk factor for premature subclinical vascular impairment. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 8 June 2017; doi: 10.1177/2047487317713326
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