Running a Marathon Is Just As Traumatic for the Kidneys As Heart Surgery
I ran a marathon a little over a week ago, and while I’m glad I finished , he kicked me. A new study from the Yale School of Medicine may explain a little why. In addition to muscle soreness, a marathon destroys your kidneys for days.
A study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases found that about 80% of runners who complete marathons have kidney function similar to that of patients who have just had heart surgery or are living in an intensive care unit. Blood and urine samples taken from marathon runners after running showed high levels of creatine and inflammatory proteins, similar to those with acute kidney damage. This does not mean that the runner’s kidneys were permanently damaged, but that the activity affected their function in the same way.
Dr. Chirag Parikh , a Yale University nephrologist and lead author of the study, suggests there may be a number of causes . First, during the marathon, you may become dehydrated, which will greatly overload your kidneys. Plus, running raises your body temperature, which causes inflammation and muscle breakdown. And because both of these factors introduce more proteins into your bloodstream to filter out, your kidneys have to work harder to do their job. In addition, your body drains some blood from your kidneys as you run to keep you cool. This, so to speak, keeps the kidneys working.
Fortunately, Wig says your body chemistry returns to normal after a couple of days if you don’t have an underlying medical condition. So there is nothing to worry about if you are running long distances. However, research highlights the importance of recovery from a major sporting event.