Too Much is Bad: Excessive Exercise Triggers Blood Poisoning, Research Data Shows

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Exercise may be good for the health but a new research has shown that exercising in excess of more than four hours a day can trigger blood poisoning.

Researchers from Australia's Monash University found that doing too much exercise such as 24-hour ultra marathons and other endurance events could cause the intestines to leak bacteria into the bloodstream which could trigger blood poisoning. The findings were published in the International Journal Sport of Medicine.

Dr. Ricardo Acosta from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics and lead study author defined extreme exercise as "anything over four hours."

"Exercising in this way is no longer unusual -- waiting lists for marathons, Ironman triathlon events and ultra-marathons are the norm and they're growing in popularity," he said, as per Science Daily.

For the study, Costa and colleagues analyzed blood samples taken from athletes or participants of a 24-hour ultra-marathon. They discovered that their blood compared to control groups caused endotoxins to leak into the bloodstream.

Endotoxins are toxins inside a bacterial cell and as they goes into the bloodstream, they will cause the body to issue an inflammatory response likened to an infection, according to Medical Daily.

If there are too much endotoxins in the body, it could result to inflammation or sepsis, a life-threatening condition that could be fatal especially to those with weakened immune systems.

If sepsis escalates to septic shock, blood pressure could drop very low and could cause death, according to Mayo Clinic.

"Nearly all of the participants in our study had blood markers identical to patients admitted to hospital with sepsis," Dr. Costa said in a press release. "That's because the bacterial endotoxins that leach into the blood as a result of extreme exercise, triggers the body's immune cells into action."

Dr. Costa said that it is imperative for wannabe athletes or anyone who sign up to an event to see their doctor first and train gradually before diving instantly into endurance marathons.

Athletes who trained longer or were more physically fit had more Interleukin 10, an anti-inflammatory substance that helps them fight off the body's negative immune response.

"The body has the ability to adapt and put a brake on negative immune responses triggered by extreme endurance events. But if you haven't done the training and you're unfit -- these are the people who can get into trouble," Dr. Costa explained. He added that training needs to be longer as one month of training is not enough.