Very Long Distance Running Takes Toll On Joints, Brain

First of all, we are talking about very long distance running, 2,800 miles, to be more precise. That’s the length of the Trans Europe Foot Race, a two-month long endurance test during which researchers used an MRI truck to scan the joints and brains of competing athletes every three or four days. What did they find? Unsurprisingly, the constant running caused significant deterioration of cartilage in knee, ankle and hind-foot joints in the first 900 to 1,550 miles of the race. Perhaps more surprising, the researchers also found that the runners had lost about 6 percent of their brain’s gray matter by the end of the race. The good news, HealthDay reports, is that both the cartilage and the gray matter appear to regenerate, returning to normal within eight months.

Share on Google Plus