Marathon runners can face a higher risk of cancer, suggests the study

The long-distance race, like marathons and ultramarathons, may not always be the health badge we thought. In fact, this could increase your risk of cancer, according to a new study in Virginia.

Dr. Timothy Cannon of the INOVA SCHARCE Institute started to work on the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical ONCOLOGY (ASCO) of the American Society of Clinical (ASCO) in Chicago, after having noticed that ultramarathonians under 40 were presented with advanced cancer.

To dig more deeply, he launched a study of runners who had finished at least five marathons or two ultramarathons, excluding those with family history or other known risk factors.

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The study used 100 participants aged 35 to 50 who had finished at least five marathons or two ultramarathons. (istock)

“The study supports the hypothesis that extreme endurance runners present an increased risk of precancerous polyps,” Cannon told Fox News Digital.

The researchers examined 100 participants aged 35 to 50 who had never undergone colonoscopy but had finished at least five marathons or two ultramarathons. People with hereditary cancer syndromes or inflammatory intestine disease have been excluded to keep emphasis on the potential impact of the endurance exercise alone.

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Each participant made a colonoscopy carried out during the study. They also carried out an investigation into eating habits, the history of the intestine and the long -distance racing models.

He found that 15% had advanced adenomas, or precancerous colon growths, compared to the 1 to 2% normal for their age group. Even more, 41% drugs had at least an adenoma.

Each participant made a colonoscopy carried out during the study. (istock)

All the growth discovered during procedures were examined by a panel of gastroenterologists, pathologists and oncologists to determine whether they met the criteria of advanced adenomas.

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“I was surprised by the number of runners had polyps,” said Cannon.

“I thought they can have more adenomas and adenomas advanced than expected for this age group … but I did not imagine that 15% would have an advanced adenoma.”

The average age of the participants was 42.5, well below the age of screening typical of 45 years.

Cannon says that he “did not imagine” that 15% of the subjects would have advanced the adenoma, explaining that the number was much larger than expected. (istock)

Cannon and other experts theorize that intense endurance training could cause repeated “intestinal stress”. During prolonged races, the blood moves away from the intestines, which can trigger damage and inflammation. Over time, this could lead to mutations and polyps.

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Experts claim that the results are not final, noting that the study does not have a control group and has not yet been reviewed by peers. However, the figures can make you sit down and be careful.

“We did not have a control group, which raises the question whether or not there are biases,” said the doctor, adding that the runners came mainly from the Washington DC region, and can have other common risk factors outside the race.

According to Cannon patients, many gastroenterologists reject bleeding after having run as a normal event. (istock)

He also recognized that research did not take into account the detailed family history, which could have influenced the results.

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Despite the results, this is not a sign to completely abandon the race.

“Let me first say that people should continue to exercise,” said Cannon. “We have much more problems not to exercise than to do too much for exercise.”

He added that the exercise decreases your risk of cancer on the whole, despite this study supporting the idea that extreme doses of exercise, such as ultramarathons, can increase the risk of cancer.

Research does not take into account the detailed family history. (istock)

For those who perform extreme distances, it is important to monitor symptoms such as bleeding, persistent diarrhea or abdominal pain.

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Bleeding after the race should not be considered normal or mild and someone who knows it should consult a doctor.

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“As far as I know, there is no expert body of gastroenterologists who said that any rectal or blood bleeding in the stool is not a concern,” said Cannon.

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“However, my patients tell me that, in practice, many gastroenterologists reject bleeding after having run as a normal event.”