<p> Australian researchers have discovered that extreme exercise can cause intestinal bacteria to leak into the bloodstream, leading to blood poisoning.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Experts at Melbourne-based Monash University monitored people participating in a range of extreme endurance events, including 24-hour ultra-marathons and multi-stage ultra-marathons, run on consecutive days.<br /><br />Blood samples taken before and after the events, compared with a control group, proved that exercise over a prolonged period of time causes the gut wall to change, allowing the naturally present bacteria, known as endotoxins, in the gut to leak into the bloodstream.<br />This triggers a systemic inflammatory response from the body's immune cells, similar to a serious infection episode.<br /><br />Significantly, the study found that individuals who are fit, healthy and follow a steady training programme to build up to extreme endurance events, develop immune mechanisms to counteract this, without any side effects.<br /><br />People taking part in extreme endurance events especially in the heat and with little training, put their bodies under enormous strain over the body's protective capacity.<br />With elevated levels of endotoxins in the blood, the immune system's response can be far greater than the body's protective counter-action.<br /><br />In extreme cases, it leads to sepsis induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which can be fatal if it is not diagnosed and treated promptly.<br /><br />The study, led by Ricardo Costa from Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, is the first to identify a link between extreme endurance exercise and the stress it may place on gut integrity.<br /><br />"Nearly all of the participants in our study had blood markers identical to patients admitted to hospital with sepsis. That's because the bacterial endotoxins that leach into the blood as a result of extreme exercise, trigger the body's immune cells into action," Costa said.<br /><br />The 24-hour ultra-marathon study, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine and the multi-stage ultra-marathon study, published in Exercise Immunology Reviews, both by Costa's team, reinforces current guidelines for people wanting to take part in extreme endurance events.<br /><br />These include getting a health check first and developing a training programme that builds fitness and endurance progressively to meet the stresses and strains of the event.<br />Costa said anything over four hours of exercise and repetitive days of endurance exercise is considered extreme.<br /><br />"Exercising in this way is no longer unusual - waiting lists for marathons, Ironman triathlon events and ultra-marathons are the norm and they're growing in popularity," he said.<br /><br />"It's crucial that anyone who signs up to an event, gets a health check first and builds a slow and steady training programme, rather than jumping straight into a marathon, for example, with only a month's training," he said.</p>
<p> Australian researchers have discovered that extreme exercise can cause intestinal bacteria to leak into the bloodstream, leading to blood poisoning.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Experts at Melbourne-based Monash University monitored people participating in a range of extreme endurance events, including 24-hour ultra-marathons and multi-stage ultra-marathons, run on consecutive days.<br /><br />Blood samples taken before and after the events, compared with a control group, proved that exercise over a prolonged period of time causes the gut wall to change, allowing the naturally present bacteria, known as endotoxins, in the gut to leak into the bloodstream.<br />This triggers a systemic inflammatory response from the body's immune cells, similar to a serious infection episode.<br /><br />Significantly, the study found that individuals who are fit, healthy and follow a steady training programme to build up to extreme endurance events, develop immune mechanisms to counteract this, without any side effects.<br /><br />People taking part in extreme endurance events especially in the heat and with little training, put their bodies under enormous strain over the body's protective capacity.<br />With elevated levels of endotoxins in the blood, the immune system's response can be far greater than the body's protective counter-action.<br /><br />In extreme cases, it leads to sepsis induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which can be fatal if it is not diagnosed and treated promptly.<br /><br />The study, led by Ricardo Costa from Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, is the first to identify a link between extreme endurance exercise and the stress it may place on gut integrity.<br /><br />"Nearly all of the participants in our study had blood markers identical to patients admitted to hospital with sepsis. That's because the bacterial endotoxins that leach into the blood as a result of extreme exercise, trigger the body's immune cells into action," Costa said.<br /><br />The 24-hour ultra-marathon study, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine and the multi-stage ultra-marathon study, published in Exercise Immunology Reviews, both by Costa's team, reinforces current guidelines for people wanting to take part in extreme endurance events.<br /><br />These include getting a health check first and developing a training programme that builds fitness and endurance progressively to meet the stresses and strains of the event.<br />Costa said anything over four hours of exercise and repetitive days of endurance exercise is considered extreme.<br /><br />"Exercising in this way is no longer unusual - waiting lists for marathons, Ironman triathlon events and ultra-marathons are the norm and they're growing in popularity," he said.<br /><br />"It's crucial that anyone who signs up to an event, gets a health check first and builds a slow and steady training programme, rather than jumping straight into a marathon, for example, with only a month's training," he said.</p>