Let me preface this post by stating that I realize, support and live by the rules that exercise and diet are very important to your health and lifespan. I am certainly no iron man but I do like the treadmill, avoid too much red meat and fried foods and generally try to be healthy.
However my question is about the diametrical extremes of “being active”.
We all know that being a lazy fat ass who lives on fast food and a couch is going to die young and our society is filled with information on diet and healthy living to avoid that. But what about the other end of the spectrum? Those that push their bodies to extremes on a consistent basis.
Is there any empirical (probably not) or even anecdotal evidence along with opinion that you can in fact “wear out” your body, specifically your heart and other organs living on the extreme end of the exercise? By extreme I am talking lifelong extreme distance runners and the like.
Additionally, I wonder if any studies have been proposed to see if long term extreme exercise has led to a bodies vulnerability/increased exposure to diseases like cancer.
I have read many preliminary studies about calorie restriction leading to increased lifespan, leading me to think about the work load on your organs to digest and utilize the intake. Wouldn’t the same thing apply to very heavy wear and tear on your heart and other organs in long term extreme exercise?
While I know the body is nothing like a man made machine, it seems logical to at least consider you can wear out your body sooner by “red lining” it consistently in much the same way you would an engine.