Marathons can harm your heart

RUNNING marathons could permanently damage the hearts of some endurance athletes, scientists believe.

New research by a team led by Dr Andre La Gerche, from the University of Melbourne, suggests extreme physical activity can scar the right ventricle of the heart in susceptible individuals.

Athletes taking part in high-endurance activities, such as marathons, triathlons, or alpine cycling, could be at risk without knowing it.

Scientists in Australia and Belgium studied 40 elite athletes. All were top performers with no known heart problems.

Test results showed that immediately after racing the athletes’ hearts had changed shape, growing in volume, while right ventricle function decreased.

Right ventricle function recovered in most athletes after a week, but in five there was evidence of potentially permanent scarring.

The findings are published in the European Heart Journal.