High Percentage Of Endurance Athletes Have Asthma

[haidut]

In confirmation of Ray's stance against "aerobic" (endurance) exercise, this study showed that a very high percentage of top swimmers have confirmed asthma. The article also goes on to say that the asthma effects is seen on other endurance sports, further confirming Ray's views.
What's stunning to me is that given the well-known causal link between serotonin and asthma, as well as the confirmed findings that endurance athletes have dramatically higher plasma serotonin than non-endurance athletes, the study authors are "surprised" that endurance sports have this effect.

http://www.science20.com/cool-links/why ... hma-154598
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/ ... I620150402

"...It could be that people with asthma self-select swimming. It could be that some have a doctor's note so they can use inhalers that are otherwise banned. It isn't just swimming where asthma rates are higher. In non-endurance events like fencing, volleyball and table tennis, asthma rates are lower than in endurance competitions like triathlon, pentathlon or cycling."

"...Each year, between 12 and 25 percent of swimmers had asthma. In 2008, almost 25 percent of swimmers, 26 percent of open water swimmers and 22 percent of synchronized swimmers had asthma. In general, more athletes in endurance events like triathlon, pentathlon or cycling had asthma than those in nonendurance sports like fencing, volleyball or table tennis, the authors note. Asthma was more common in aquatic endurance sports, which included swimming, open water swimming and synchronized swimming, than in nonedurance events like diving, they write in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “I was not surprised to find that swimmers had a high prevalence of asthma,” Mountjoy told Reuters Health by email. “What was surprising for me to find was that there were significant differences between the endurance and non-endurance sports, as well as the distinct geographical distributions.”

 

[oxidation_is_normal]

Hmm, if it is just swimmers, then chlorine could explain that... "Asthma was more common in aquatic endurance sports..." Also sports which require you to breathe through your mouth rather than those...

 

[haidut]

Hmm, if it is just swimmers, then chlorine could explain that... "Asthma was more common in aquatic endurance sports..." Also sports which require you to breathe through your mouth rather than those...

Yep, but it's not just aquatic sports. They say in general endurance athletes in sports like running and cycling have higher rates of asthma than non-endurance sports. I posted another study showing highly trained athelets have very low levels of T3 and horrible teeth. Peat explained that teeth are a hallmark sign of hypothyroidism and all research so far seems to confirm his views on endurance exercise. The question is, at what point exerting yourself for health purposes becomes "endurance" exercise and thus bad. I gues Peat would answer that the point is where glycogen gets depleted.

 

[marsaday]

Teeth are a hallmark of hypo T ??

I have never heard this before. I have hypothyroidism and my teeth are in really good condition. No whitening needed for me :)

So if highly trained athletes have low T3 levels, they must then benefit from some T3 supplementation. Doping with T3, I wonder if it happens?

 

[haidut]

Teeth are a hallmark of hypo T ??

I have never heard this before. I have hypothyroidism and my teeth are in really good condition. No whitening needed for me :)

So if highly trained athletes have low T3 levels, they must then benefit from some T3 supplementation. Doping with T3, I wonder if it happens?

In case there is any doubt, here is the study:
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=4850

Yes, endurance athletes have been known to develop hypogonadism and hypothyroidism and often supplement with things like T3 or SERM like clomid, or AI like anastrozole in order to restore hormone production while not in active training mode. The issue is quite common,

 

[tara]

Asthmatics may tend to self-select swimming? I think swimming can often be helpful against asthma, probably via the breathing control required.

 

[BobbyDukes]

I'm always amazed by how tolerant people can be to endurance exercise. Like, they can go for miles and miles and still keep going, no matter what the activity.

My body just doesn't tolerate it anymore. When I was younger, I was a talented athelete. I could sprint, run for miles; I was breaking records all the time. I played a lot of soccer, and I was an active youngster. Then, in my late twenties, my body could no longer tolerate endurance running. I used to get a runners high (which I found addcitive, I will admit), but that suddenly stopped, and I become horrendously short of breath. My dad and my older brother are asthmatics.

Now when I run, my body feels destroyed. Yet, to look at me, you'd think I was incredibly fit and healthy. I'm 6ft 1, very muscular, wthout an once of fat on me. My skin glows and, despite being 33, I often get told that I look like I am in my twenties.

Something changed for me. Why does my body go into complete and utter meltdown with physical activity? I have even stopped going to the gym (haven't been for two years), because it would literally take my body 5 days to recover from a workout, and my muscles would be extremely painful during this recovery period.

Yet, I look at my younger brother, who looks about 10 years older than me, and he cycles 30 miles everyday. He runs for miles, without feeling like he has been struck by a freight train.

I enjoy walking. But even walking 5 miles will tax my body to a certain degree. Is this a sign of bad health? Or is this something to not even worry about?

Anyone else experienced this?

 

[cantstoppeating]

It's good to see such studies.

One of our irrational barriers to Peating is that we hold athletes as the epitome of good health, using them as a benchmark for Peat's ideas:

Peat: "a resting heart rate greater than 80bpm can be a sign of good thyroid function."
John Doe: "WTF?! That can't be healthy because athletes have resting heart rates of 50-60bpm."

Peat: "endurance exercise acutely and chronically promotes stress and is overall destructive."
John Doe: "WTF?! That can't be right because all those long distance olympic runners look lean and very healthy."

Peat: "fasting, carb-cycling, ketosis, are stress promoters and derail the mitochondria."
John Doe: "WTF?! That can't be right. You're officially a crack-pot weirdo."

 

[jaa]

I find it interesting that swimming may promote asthma, as Buteyko suggests swimming for treating asthma. I always felt like I was spewing CO2 when swimming and never understood how it could help with controlling one's breath.

Not quite sure what to think about the asthma and endurance correlation. It makes sense from a CO2 perspective. Anecdotally, endurance sports were what the less athletic kids enrolled in when I was younger. Though it seems kids with asthma would want nothing to do with such sports.

 

[haidut]

Asthmatics may tend to self-select swimming? I think swimming can often be helpful against asthma, probably via the breathing control required.

It's not just swimmers - any endurance sports has very similar stats. The articles mentions running, cycling, etc.

 

[haidut]

I find it interesting that swimming may promote asthma, as Buteyko suggests swimming for treating asthma. I always felt like I was spewing CO2 when swimming and never understood how it could help with controlling one's breath.

Not quite sure what to think about the asthma and endurance correlation. It makes sense from a CO2 perspective. Anecdotally, endurance sports were what the less athletic kids enrolled in when I was younger. Though it seems kids with asthma would want nothing to do with such sports.

It's not so much CO2, it's more about the serotonin. Endurance athletes have been shown to have 2-3 times higher plasma serotonin than non-active people. Serotonin causes heart and lung fibrosis and virtually any endurance athlete over 40 has some type of fibrosis in these two organs. They also have heart hypertrophy - another hallmark of high serotonin and estrogen.
Serotonin is the causal agent for asthma and cyproheptadine has been shown to stop acute asthma attacks and also maintain full asthma "remission" indefinitely.
Endurance athletes are also at very high risk for hypogonadism, most likely caused by high prolactin. Even 25min of running will double/triple your prolactin for 2-3 days and of course it raises estrogen as well due to fatty acid liberation and the overall stress. The free fatty acids will displace tryptophan from the blood and it will go to the brain to server as serotonin raw material. Brain serotonin will probably increase by a factor of 5 due to 30min of running 3 times a week. Peripheral serotonin will also increase as mentioned above due to irritated intesting from running and this peripheral serotonin is what is so dangerous for your heart and lungs.
Serotonergic drugs kill performance in sports and dopaminergic drugs dramatically improve it. Anti-serotonin agents like cyproheptadine can reverse even the most advanced case of fibrosis if taken in the right dose and for sufficient period of time. They can also prevent fibrosis for endurance athletes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performanc ... cing_drugs

"... Dopaminergic stimulants (e.g., reuptake inhibitors and releasing agents) also affect cognitive and athletic performance by improving muscle strength and endurance while decreasing reaction time and fatigue; some examples of ergogenic (athletic performance-enhancing) stimulants are caffeine, ephedrine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine.[4][5][6][7]"

I can go on and on about this, but the main message is this - Peat is right about endurance exercise. Unless you are doing exercise that is entirely glycogen dependent, you are causing harm. The greater the duration of glycogen-less exertion the greater the harm through increased serotonin, porlactin and estrogen.

 

[jaa]

So what's the difference between walking and jogging (neglecting impact) or simply moving and any low intensity exercise?

 

[jyb]

I find it interesting that swimming may promote asthma, as Buteyko suggests swimming for treating asthma. I always felt like I was spewing CO2 when swimming and never understood how it could help with controlling one's breath.

Not quite sure what to think about the asthma and endurance correlation. It makes sense from a CO2 perspective. Anecdotally, endurance sports were what the less athletic kids enrolled in when I was younger. Though it seems kids with asthma would want nothing to do with such sports.

There might be a difference between endurance or athletic swimming and just swimming for leisure. Just like between jogging and walking outdoors.

 

[jaa]

I'm wondering what distinction the body makes in terms of stress and metabolism. To me, there doesn't seem to be much of a difference between walking and light jogging. Both are aerobic activities. Neither is very stressful (depending on activity level). Wouldn't they both activate the same metabolic pathways? I understand that jogging to the point of exhaustion will be more detrimental to one's health than going for a walk. To me, this seems to be caused by spewing CO2 and prolonged lack of oxygen to the muscles and all the resulting stress. Burning fats seems like a problem too, but doesn't happen with light jogging or walking?

 

[haidut]

So what's the difference between walking and jogging (neglecting impact) or simply moving and any low intensity exercise?

Stress hormones, which lead to fatty acid release. Walking slowly and only to the point of depleting glycogen is perfectly fine. If you exert yourself, cortisol/adrenalin get activated and you release fatty acids even if there is glycogen available. You also start breaking down muscle tissue.
Basically, exercise if good for you if it is enjoyable and done without much strain. Pushing yourself too hard or for too long activates the stress metabolism, and if done chronically your body will adapt to run (pun intended) on fat. This is what we know as insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes type II.

 

[jaa]

Thanks for the explanation. It seems jogging can be undertaken in a healthy context if it's not too strenuous.

 

[tara]

Asthmatics may tend to self-select swimming? I think swimming can often be helpful against asthma, probably via the breathing control required.

It's not just swimmers - any endurance sports has very similar stats. The articles mentions running, cycling, etc.

Yes. I do accept the general point that serious endurance training in general is stressful and harmful.
Thanks for spelling out the serotonin mechanism. I guess the elevated serotonin is another factor, along with the direct effects of reduced T3 and depleted glycogen, that could make too strenuous an uphill walk into a trigger for migraine process.

 

[Newbophyte]

If that is the case, then is the lactate threshold the limit? And if we can say that that is reached at (roughly) 85-90% of the maximum heart rate, endurance exercise under that limit (wherein one is able to consistently keep the mouth closed) should be fine, right? I don't want to give up on my 2+ hour jaunts through scenic areas, they're fun! If the majority of the time is spent sub-anaerobic, what's the issue?

 

[haidut]

If that is the case, then is the lactate threshold the limit? And if we can say that that is reached at (roughly) 85-90% of the maximum heart rate, endurance exercise under that limit (wherein one is able to consistently keep the mouth closed) should be fine, right? I don't want to give up on my 2+ hour jaunts through scenic areas, they're fun! If the majority of the time is spent sub-anaerobic, what's the issue?

The more fun the exercise the less stressful and lactic acid-producing it is. As long as you run at a pace that allows you to keep a conversation going you are probably not overexerting yourself too much. One of the giveaways of danger territory is getting sleepy. This means glycogen is depleted and you started burning fat, which increases tryptophan levels in the brain and hence serotonin.

 

[ecstatichamster]

I think specifically about swimmers is that they mouth breathe. And that is the entire reason for their having so much asthma.