When we think of cardiovascular health, physical activity - such as running - often comes to mind. But new research shows that running a marathon can prompt heart muscle changes that cause the heart to swell, and this is particularly the case in runners with lower fitness levels.
The researchers, who reported their findings in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, say previous studies have found that many sports competitors show signs of injury to the heart muscle and cardiac abnormalities after they exercise for long periods of time.
The new study was created to assess the degree to which running a marathon stresses the heart, and whether it might cause permanent damage.
As such, the researchers studied 20 amateur long-distance runners between the ages of 18 and 60, who were going to run in the Quebec City Marathon. The runners had no known cardiovascular disease and were not on any kind of drug treatment.
The researchers excluded any runners who had run a marathon in the 2 months before recruitment or during the study period.
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