GeorgeBMac

+1 on the chronic inflammation.

But I while it often occurs along with metabolic syndrome, it doesn't need metabolic syndrome to exist. And, with his level of fitness and commitment to exercise, I would think metabolic syndrome would be unlikely..

Fat Boy

We'll, we just don't know, do we? He doesn't seem to be obese, but triglyceride levels, HDL levels, fasting blood glucose, and blood pressure are other symptoms. Conjecture about this specific case is nigh-on useless (as we have such little information), but the overall conversation can be quite interesting.

Sixty Fiver

There is some emerging evidence that metabolic syndrome is the disease and that weight gain is the body's response to an impaired metabolism... it is much worse when a relatively fit person gets this or develops type 2 diabetes, this means their ability to store fat is often impaired (it offers protection from high blood sugar).

The average North American engages in carb loading all day long and probably needs to run double marathons to justify that type of intake.

Sixty Fiver

You can run a furnace at a pretty high temperature but if the fuel mix is wrong you will get sooty buildups.

I think that this is something we are only starting to really understand.

Dunbar

It does seem odd that a marathon runner would eat such a poor diet (by his own admission.) I think long term endurance athletes tend to be a pretty self-selecting group who generally care about health and fitness.

Fat Boy

On the heart side of things, hypertrophy was mentioned. I'm assuming left-ventricle hypertrophy is what we're talking about. If the hypertrophy is brought on by exercise, then it's really not that big of a deal as long as there aren't other issues. The hypertrophy on its own is just an adaptation to a stimulus. Now, if one's heart becomes so large there are signaling issues (afib), complications due to wall flexibility, an aortic aneurysm, etc., then you are in trouble. Endurance athletes tend towards the larger LV's, and that is to be expected to some extent. If these people change their exercise routines (say, a pro retires), then the LV will revert to a normal size over time. After my surgery for my congenital valve defect, my LV shrank from 7.6cm to 5.3. Pretty amazing change, all in all.

Fat Boy

His 'poor diet' may be primarily an out-cropping of his present indoctrination. Steak and potatoes may very well not have ever been his issue(I would argue those two things by themselves are fairly benign), regardless of where the fingers are being pointed now. You would be hard pressed to show causality, especially with the tiny amount of information that we have in this case.

Dunbar

Right but a "meat and potato" diet is probably a metaphor for traditional comfort food type American diet with no shortage of refined carbohydrate (not that I want this to turn into a low fat vs. low carb thread...) At least, that's how I see it.

Number400

It's called aging and genetics and there are many, many sedentary seniors out there who are way older and will outlive many athletes. You are in some control with diet and exercise and lifestyle choices but something in you will kill you eventually. I will keep saving for retirement but generally don't plan for longer than a decade at a time. Anything can happen at any time and if you grow old spending too much time with your eyes on the ball and not in your hands, what is the point?

What sucks now is that exercising too hard could kill him faster or damage his heart more than if he took it easy and lived a sedentary lifestyle from here on out.

Fat Boy

Agreed on your interpretation of his diet. So why blame the steak and potatoes? I wouldn't go so far as to make it a carb related issue as much as a refined/processed food (often grain heavy) issue. He specifically blames one part of his diet (probably a small part of it at that) and gives every other food a pass. Sniffs of dogma to me.

wolfchild

I am assuming that most marathon runners and endurance athletes are fueled by eating excessive amounts of sugar and carbs and almost no fat. That's not a healthy diet at all.

Fat Boy

It's easier to blame the steak. Tim Noakes, the author of _The Lore of Running_ has some interesting thoughts on the matter. It's definitely worth a Google search. It's safe to say the next version of that book will be significantly different than the last.

GeorgeBMac

Yes, I think he pretty much said that:
'"“I’m from that ‘Leave It to Beaver’ era,” he said. “You know, meat and potatoes. I was hard-core. That’s what I ate, what I lived on. I always felt like if the furnace was hot enough, it would burn everything."

So, I agree that he was not putting fingers at steak or potatoes specifically -- but rather at the traditional American diet -- the "Leave it to Beaver diet"

And, in the second part of that statement he makes it clear that he was not worried about what he ate -- because he figured the running would burn it off regardless of how bad it was...

But, most cardiologists are going to tell him to back off of the saturated fats and cholesterol -- and he is doing just that:

"Since receiving the test results in October, McGillivray has avoided red meat and “anything and everything that has any saturated or trans fats in it.” He has been taking medication. And he has been making regular visits to his doctor."

If you take that statement literally, it implies that he has gone to a low-fat vegan diet -- because that is the only way to avoid "anything and everything that has any saturated or trans fats in it".

Actually, I would not be surprised if he is following the Ornish Reversal diet.

GeorgeBMac

But nothing in the article suggested that it was exercise that caused his heart problems (instead it was his "Leave It to Beaver Diet") -- so why would backing off of the exercise help him live longer? Actually, my cardiologist has me going at 80-85% of my max heart rate (damn slave driver!)

wolfchild

Maybe this article was written and published by a vegetarian, that's way steak and mashed potatoes are getting blamed for heart disease.

yodatic

>>>Anecdotal evidence disclaimer<<< I worked for 15 years at an "All you can eat " buffet , as a maintenance , repair, etc, whatever. They fed me free and a lot. I was on the road a lot , all over the Southeast, where they are known for healthy food , not! I blossomed into a svelte 200+ pound 5'10" pudgy little technician. I even had to exhale deeply to tie my shoes, lol. Sensing a looming problem I quit that job, when they went out of business, and took this job at a pub/ restaurant. They have also feed me well, with the added novelty of free beer and more! I started cutting back on food volume, and running, biking, and joined a gym near here. In October of 2013 some Doctors also sensed a problem , MRI'd and CT scanned me a bunch all over, pronounced me very healthy ,but for the brain thingy. Now we are trying to eat even better? and try to find out what that even entails. I do not drink any more alcohol , and the info on the internet is still as contradicktory as ever. lol this is just some of my 56 years here, your mileage may vary. tom

bmontgomery87

I could honestly see that. Wouldn't be the first time

StanSeven

Totally wrong. The typical marathon runner (one that "runs" the event for time) is very health conscious. My diet, which is typical of all my running friends as well as all the traditional source of training advice, consists of very little lean meat, many fruits and fresh vegetables, and whole grain pasta.

Take a look at online sources of training diets for runners. I don't see where you got that idea.

joewein

That's a complete myth. As I wrote in a blog post last year:

Fat Boy

Which is the myth? That Pheidippides died (or even ran the first marathon) or that marathon running isn't particularly healthy?

While I believe that good cardio is important to overall health, I think that running a marathon (and training to run a marathon) is not a particularly healthy endeavor. When you start putting in really serious training, like 15+ hours of cardio a week, hormone levels will often go pretty whacky. That alone has to be telling us something.

eriku16

Telling "us" what exactly?

Fat Boy

That many people cannot support the level of work that it takes to run a marathon competitively and if they 'just do it' anyway, their bodies will react poorly to it.

Sixty Fiver

So your diet is high in carbs with almost no fat.

Carbonfiberboy 

Unfortunately, this forum has attracted a few individuals who are seriously dug in, defending their own facts. I don't see any of them getting on any starting lines or even doing serious group rides.

Null66

Research is tending towards carbs as a causal of arteriosclerosis...
Implicating inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and etc.

Seems like the higher the insulin response the more damage.