While keeping fit is a great thing, pushing your body to the limit will always raise potential health concerns. Admittedly, doctors who expressed concern to Roger Bannister that his heart would explode if he attempted to break the four-minute mile were clearly way off the mark, but these days there are all kinds of less hysterical, meticulously researched studies that can properly examine the effects of extreme physical exertion, such as . And a recent study carried out in France and published in reveals that ultra-trail runners face an elevated risk of acute kidney injury (AKI), particularly during the first half of a race.
The study, lead by Jean‐Charles Vauthier of the Département de Médecine Générale, Faculté de Médecine in Nancy, France, looked into the link between and acute kidney injury (AKI), also known as acute renal failure. Following endurance exercise, the kidneys may have trouble filtering the chemical waste product creatinine from the blood. This is bad, because increased creatinine levels in the blood can lead to AKI, which can lead to reduced urination, digestive disorders, fatigue, vomiting and headaches.
It can even be fatal. In this new study, 55 participants ran a 156km / 97 mile ultra-trail course (actually six loops of 26km / 16 miles) in Clécy, Normandy, France, with 6,000m of elevation gain. There was a station that they could use at the end of each loop to rehydrate and refuel.
Thirteen runners did not finish ( ), three due to injurie.
