Does Endurance Training Negatively Affect Your Thyroid?

[BestSinceDAYONE]

I have listened to a lot of Danny Roddy / Haidut's podcast where they talk about stress and they made it seem that long distance endurance training is not good for stress / thyroid function.

https://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-...e-training-affect-your-thyroid-and-vice-versa

This article compiled a list of 11 different studies that should quite the opposite, eventually the thyroid normalizes.

Just wanted to hear your thoughts on this, I like long distance and intense cardio.

Is this something that doesn't go with this diet provided enough carbs are there for fuel?

I am trying to keep my hair as well haha.

 

[Cirion]

Any form of exercise, done in excess, and/or with too much intensity, is going to negatively impact your endocrine system, no matter how many carbohydrates you intake. You can reduce the damage with good stress control, but endurance training (and most form of weight training as well) will not do you any favors. It's a tough pill to swallow , I know, since I myself love weight lifting, but it's extremely easy to overdo lifting as well.

For me, I can over-do it with literally just one intense 1 hr long weightlifting session. The next day I'll tend to have symptoms like depression, fatigue etc etc. In fact, I've managed to trash my endocrine system with just 15 minutes of lifting with one max-out set per exercise.

If you're otherwise healthy, the amount you can get away with is probably more than if you're already trying to recover a damaged metabolism. But it will catch up to you sooner or later, especially with other stressors of life like work, relationships, etc.

You probably enjoy running because of the adrenaline that gets released - it's one of the infamous "feel good" hormone that comes from working out. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down- too much / too frequent adrenaline releases will cause problems down the line.

True that your body can and will adapt to frequent training to a degree, simply because the body does what it can to survive, but it will never be preferable than not having that stressor in the first place.

 

[Lurker]

As a balanced approach to exercise, I’d recommend “Primal Endurance” by Mark Sisson. The book is geared more toward chronic athletes that need to slow down rather than the average potato that needs to get off the couch. This is an area that I think would Mark’s views overlap pretty well with Peat's general philosophy. In the book, Mark recommends low stress training well below the lactic threshold and limiting workout frequency to allow for recovery. His reasons may be off Peat (trying to be a fat burning beast) but seems directionally correct from an exercise perspective. The workouts would not be “fun” per se but seems like a much “safer” way to do endurance exercise.

But what are you running from?

 

[Mike Rees]

I was a runner for 40 years, I miss it but cannot run anymore. I can however walk (hill walking) all day long, I too feel shocking if I do any heavy weight sessions so I confine mine to 10 minutes every other day and that being only 2 x 7.5 kgs but it's enough and I get away with it. If I don't I add an extra 1/4 grain of NDT into the mix.

I think Peat said that if you walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes ( I forget the exact quote) a healthy person will be hypo thyroid the following day.

I would run 20 miles a week, hit the gym for 60-90 mins 3 x a week and fell race a few times a week. I beasted myself for over 30 years or more because of a poor self image and the fact that exercise help me battle the dark dog which with hindsight was probably my hashimotos. If I couldn't exercise I'd drink heavily.

All issues that won't have helped my failing immune system and thyroid.

 

[Andman]

I think Peat said that if you walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes ( I forget the exact quote) a healthy person will be hypo thyroid the following day.

Do you maybe remember where youve read that quote?

Any form of exercise, done in excess, and/or with too much intensity, is going to negatively impact your endocrine system, no matter how many carbohydrates you intake. You can reduce the damage with good stress control, but endurance training (and most form of weight training as well) will not do you any favors. It's a tough pill to swallow , I know, since I myself love weight lifting, but it's extremely easy to overdo lifting as well.

For me, I can over-do it with literally just one intense 1 hr long weightlifting session. The next day I'll tend to have symptoms like depression, fatigue etc etc. In fact, I've managed to trash my endocrine system with just 15 minutes of lifting with one max-out set per exercise.

Story of my life right there haha ;( any sets taken to failure are sure to knock me out for 1-2 days, except deadlift which will be more like 3-4 days

 

[Mike Rees]

I heard that on one of his YouTube videos ( radio dial ins), search and listen to a few I found them very helpful.

 

[Ella]

Been there, done that. No thanks, my knees could not be happier. When the body is producing an abundance of energy, it naturally wants to move. Moving and endurance training are different animals. Much energy is required to build muscles and unless you are a professional weight lifter, it is shear madness in attempting to support more muscles than is required to do all you need to maintain lean body. Have you seen how much food those weight lifters require? It is a full time job eating and you need a chef to keep the food on tap.

More rest and sleep is required if you are pushing the body hard for repair and regeneration. Many forget to factor this into the equation and burn themselves and breakdown.

Not fun trying to repair a broken body under the influence of adrenaline and cortisol.

Taking your dog for a walk, bush walking, bike riding with the kids or a hard day in the garden and not sitting for too long is adequate to maintain muscles and fitness.

Like @Lurker asked. What are you running from?

 

[Luckytype]

Definitely cooked my thyroid and adrenals by weight training abuse and not running though.

@Mike Rees I can recall something similar from along those lines of within something like 25 or 30 minutes a compromised person will have very little t3 in their blood.

I definitely use a little thyroid pre activity regardless of what it is. I feel like it helps big time, especially while doing long walks.

 

[foodandtheworld]

@Andman , I believe these are the radio shows @Mike Rees was referring to (it appears Ray Peat brought it up several different times):
Search
Here's one instance where he discusses the treadmill example (bolds mine):
PATRICK TIMPONE: Is a slower pulse necessarily better?
RAY PEAT: No, generally, it is not.
PATRICK TIMPONE: What could be wrong? Now, we’ve already been told it is, like I’ve been exercising a lot and my pulse gets pretty low, just my resting pulse sometimes 50 or so because I do the rebounder. So that could actually be a sign of some kind of weakness.
RAY PEAT: Yeah, very often, it’s hypothyroid, long distance runners.
PATRICK TIMPONE: You mean low thyroid?
RAY PEAT: Yeah. If you put a person on a treadmill – and in one experiment, they had them walk, so their pulse stayed about 120 beats per minute. And in less than an hour, their blood showed almost no T3, the active hormone, and if a person is healthy, as soon as they catch their breath and rest for a day, their T3 is right back where it should be. But if there is anything wrong with their diet, just that moderate amount of exercise everyday can push your thyroid lower and lower.

Anecdotally, I think this matches my experience. When I was first recovering from under-eating and over-exercising, even just a brisk 20 minute walk would leave me with a strong stress response when I tried to sleep, resulting in multiple awakenings with a pounding heart. I also think this is another explanation why Gwyneth Olwyn advises against exercise for those trying to recover from an energy deficit. The moderate amount of exercise for someone in a weakened state will just push one's thyroid lower and lower, as Peat says, delaying full recovery.

 

[Andman]

@foodandtheworld woah thanks for taking the time and digging that up, i had no idea its that bad :O

 

[vulture]

Definitely cooked my thyroid and adrenals by weight training abuse and not running though.

@Mike Rees I can recall something similar from along those lines of within something like 25 or 30 minutes a compromised person will have very little t3 in their blood.

I definitely use a little thyroid pre activity regardless of what it is. I feel like it helps big time, especially while doing long walks.

I always tended to be skinny, and when I had 16 I trainined for years to failure (HIT and HD), I was really wasting my time and weakening after some months, and needed to eat an absurd amount of food to slightly improve. AFAIK training to failure is stupid.

 

[Collden]

Any exertion will temporarily lower thyroid activity, but the long-term effects such as improved body composition, liver health, mitochondrial density, lactate clearance and lowered blood lipids and inflammation might promote better thyroid function and energy levels over time if you recover properly, get sufficient nutrition and do not overtrain. Following a principle like Maffetone training is probably wise to reduce risk of overtraining and injury. Peat recently said in an interview that highly trained athletes have fewer problems due to lactate than sedentary people due to their enhanced clearance. Steady-state cardio at moderate intensity seems to suppress thyroid activity less than HIIT or weight lifting at any rate.

There is a study that found that a program of moderate aerobic exercise improved thyroid function in male hypothyroid patients
The effect of regular physical exercise on the thyroid function of treated hypothyroid patients: An interventional study at a tertiary care center in Bastar region of India Bansal A, Kaushik A, Singh C M, Sharma V, Singh H - Arch Med Health Sci

I think men benefit more from endurance training than women. Most male ultra runners I've seen look like they have good thyroid and hormonal health, whereas most female ultra runners look less healthy.

 

[vulture]

Any exertion will temporarily lower thyroid activity, but the long-term effects such as improved body composition, liver health, mitochondrial density, lactate clearance and lowered blood lipids and inflammation might promote better thyroid function and energy levels over time if you recover properly, get sufficient nutrition and do not overtrain. Following a principle like Maffetone training is probably wise to reduce risk of overtraining and injury. Peat recently said in an interview that highly trained athletes have fewer problems due to lactate than sedentary people due to their enhanced clearance. Steady-state cardio at moderate intensity seems to suppress thyroid activity less than HIIT or weight lifting at any rate.

There is a study that found that a program of moderate aerobic exercise improved thyroid function in male hypothyroid patients
The effect of regular physical exercise on the thyroid function of treated hypothyroid patients: An interventional study at a tertiary care center in Bastar region of India Bansal A, Kaushik A, Singh C M, Sharma V, Singh H - Arch Med Health Sci

I think men benefit more from endurance training than women. Most male ultra runners I've seen look like they have good thyroid and hormonal health, whereas most female ultra runners look less healthy.

What do you think on increased muscle mass via sprinting and dips and chin ups? I seriously doubt a guy with 10 extra pounds of muscle and we'll nourished would be less healthy