Exercise & DNA Damage- Hot Topic!

J

Jcrew3082

Cathlete
This article caught my eye. In fact, it had my eyes bulging...

According to Michael Roizen, chair of anesthesiology & critical-care at the Cleveland Clinic, excessive exercise could damage your DNA. In Allure magazine’s April 2006 issue, in the article “Time Bomb,” he answers the following question. “Q: How much exercise do you really need to stay young? And is it true that too much exercise can age you prematurely? A: More than four hours of stamina exercise a week can damage cells, particularly your DNA and destroy muscle tissue. The result is that you’ll end up aged and hobbling around before your time. To stay young, you need 30 minutes a day of walking, 30 minutes a week of strength activity, and 20 minutes three times a week of stamina training.”

Now, all of Cathe’s workouts arguably test your stamina. Chances are, if you use Cathe’s DVDs, you are probably doing stamina workouts at least 4 hours a week, and you are almost certainly doing more than half an hour of strength training a week. According to Roizen, this will age us! This article annoys me because Roizen does not go on to say from where this information is derived. Yes, he is a doctor, and probably a reputable one at that, but where is the proof?

Thoughts please… :)
 
My initial thought is that he should probably stick to anethesiology and not go off making statements about things he is not an expert in. You have to wonder what sort of scientific evidence he has to back up his statement--evidence that somehow ALL the scientists in this country who actually study exercise, joints, DNA damage, etc have somehow missed. x(

Sure, intense exercise may cause some DNA damage in certain cells (mostly I've seen articles on damage in white blood cells), but it's not clear that it leads to "hobbling around." Plus, there's plenty of evidence that exercise--even hard exercise--does not cause arthritis. Yes, significant joint injuries sustained during exercise are linked to arthritis, but otherwise, the current evidence is that staying active can help prevent arthritis and getting active can help if you have arthritis.
 
I have to agree with the girls. This is probably one of those theroies that would resurface in a yrs time but with the opposite scenerio. Doing exercise with increase you DNA, just like eggs aren't good for you...oh wait now...yes they are!:)
I don't think anything can take your DNA away.And I don't know why these scientist aren't out trying to find a cure for cancer and other diseases instead of wasting their time and the govt's money.
Thanks for sharing, just the same.
Lori:)
 
I don't know anything about this guy and there are so many health studies out there saying this that and the other, who can keep up? This is not the first study/article I've heard recently about too much exercise, or too much intense exercise, causing more harm than good. So, who knows? I'll do what works for me and worry about the bad stuff if and when it happens. Personally I think the stress of worrying about what's fit or healthy all the time does more damage than the health "monster of the week" ever will.

Sparrow


Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
Well, I certainly don't feel old! Since I started Cathe, I actually feel quite a bit younger. I have to agree with A-Jock. She stated it perfectly! :)
 
Interesting article Gina....everyone has thier opinions..:)...so I'll have to stop running marathons now...:(....NOT!!!....I am siding with A-Jock...:)
 
Well that doesn't sound excessive enough to me to damage someone's DNA anyways. WTH? I know how I feel and I am much stronger now. However, I have seen some women who have harder looking faces...too much wind burn, perhaps when running over the years and damage from the sun also?

Charlotte~~
 
I have always thought that people who run a lot looked old in the face. I thought it was because they lost fat in their faces that kept it looking young and plump.

That is why I try to never run more than 20 miles per week.
 
Thanks for sharing the article. I'm always interested in reading the "latest", but would go insane trying to adhere to everything every expert says. I'd have to change my workouts and eating about every other day!

I say a person should look in the mirror - do you like what you see?
And go by how they feel - do you feel younger, more energetic?

I believe everyone's body is different and responds differently to exercise or anything else for that matter. I don't intend to change my current exercise habits - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Of course, on the days it feels "broke" I do slow down.:)
 
You know, years ago girls weren't allowed to play basketball on a full court because it could damage their internal organs. I believe I am healthier and lead a more active life style than either my mother or my MIL, mostly because I exercise regularly. Here's another vote for A-jock opinion.
 
This is the doctor who co-authored the book "You - The Owner's Manual." I've read it, and it's a really good book. I'm not trying to defend him, but I just wanted to say that his approach to exercise and health is much broader than this article would make it appear. He actually strongly promotes exercise and very healthy eating. But his "gimmick" is to reduce every aspect of living down to how it "ages" our bodies. For example, eating red meat ages your body x number of years (can't remember the number); ergo stop eating red meat, and you will "become younger" by those number of years. It's gimmicky logic; our life spans are not a mathematical equation.

He makes the same exercise recommendation in his book, and when I read it there it made sense, in the context of his larger argument in the book. I took from it that anything in excess can be detrimental to the body; I'm an "everything in moderation" kind of person.

I think if you're counterbalancing rigourous exercise with adequate rest, refueling, and variety, then you're doing yourself way more good than harm.

Cheers,
Sandra
 
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