Runner’s Science Update, Mayo’s research of our runners
Michael Mohseni runs to stay healthy, but as an emergency room doctor, he is always aware that, sometimes, health suffers from running.
That is why Dr. Mohseni thought the inaugural National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer might offer both runners and health care providers a unique insight into physiological changes taking place in runners during a long race. He set up a clinical study dubbed “Runner’s Science” that was approved by Mayo Clinic, where he practices, and was able to sign up “an incredible” 250 runners.
On the morning of the February run, the participants came to the Runners’ Science tent, filled out survey information (demographics, training information, medical history and use of medications and supplements, etc.), had their weight, temperature and heart rate recorded, and donated a “finger stick” blot of blood to check for electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, and so on).
After the run, runners’ vitals were checked again and another blood sample was taken from each. The participants also filled out a post-run survey.
Dr. Mohseni wants to paint a picture of how running truly affects the human body, and his study is one of “very few” that have collected both pre- and post-race health status data on runners. It is also one of the largest, to date, and he is preparing the data for publication in medical journals.
“Our ideal long-range goal is to be able to tell people what they need to do to stay healthy while running,” he says. “For example, many of the problems seen during extended exercise come from drinking either too much, or too little, water. Too much can cause seizures when a runner’s sodium levels fall because salt is needed for normal heart and nerve activity. Too little water can result in kidney dysfunction.”
Now, a half-year later, the results are beginning to take shape. So far, he has found that hyponatremia caused by drinking too much fluid was present in 8 percent of runners after the race – which was not unexpected. But the incidence of moderate kidney dysfunction caused by dehydration was “surprising high, just shy of 19 percent,” Dr. Mohseni says. Rehydration was needed in those runners, he says.
“Lately, the use of sports drinks with electrolytes have really helped runners maintain the right balance of crucial chemicals in their system, but problems can still occur from the amount of fluids people are drinking,” he says.
Of great interest to Dr. Mohseni was the finding that about 10 percent of the participants reported a history of cancer. “If we extrapolated that to all of the Marathon runners, that would be nearly 700 runners with a history of cancer. Amazing!”
Dr. Mohseni is grateful to the volunteers – “this research study truly depended on your commitment both before and after the race,” he says. And he will be out there again at the 2008 race, signing up volunteers in order to extend the study, making it one of the best yet on runners’ health.
In the meantime, the good doctor, will pound away his 20 to 30 miles a week, which he has done for the last six years of his 29 years. “Running is a personal interest of mine, but I am so fortunate that I have been able to study it scientifically – with the help of all those wonderful athletes.”
