Running: Protect Your Adrenal Function

As the last entry discussed, the adrenal glands are subject to stress during training. This is perfectly acceptable if you have healthy adrenal status. But if you have some level of adrenal fatigue, you must be prepared to train wisely. If the idea of "adrenal fatigue" sounds a little strange to you, we should describe it more accurately as "hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction." This is the biological system that regulates adrenal activity and is commonly referred to as the HPA axis.

HPA dysfunction is common and is related to multiple symptoms.

1. Chronic fatigue. Psychosomatics 2008 Sep-Oct;49(5):450.
2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Neurogastroenterology & Motility 2009 Feb;21(2):149-59. Epub 2008 Aug 5.
3. Altered immune function. Journal of Neuroimmunology 2002 Dec;133(1-2):1-19.
4. Depression Psychological Medicine 2009 Apr 1:1-4.

If you already have some level of HPA dysfunction, then aggressive training may actually harm your health. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't run at all. Interestingly, low intensity exercise reduces burden on the adrenal glands. Journal of Endocrinological Investigations 2008 Jul;31(7):587-91.

Because HPA dysfunction is not a "disease" per se, there are no accurate numbers for how many Americans are affected but adrenal health is relatively simple to assess. It involves a simple saliva test that many functional laboratories (i.g. Diagnos-techs, Metametrix, Genova Diagnostics) perform.

If you have experienced a drop in performance, slower race times, slower recovery, gastrointestinal discomfort or fatigue, you may be overtrained. More on overtraining next time.

Running: A Fresh Look

I like to run. I am not a fast runner; quite average in fact. But it gives me a chance to renew my body and my mind. Running outside helps me think more clearly, meditate and recharge while I give my muscles, bones and heart a great workout. I'm sure there are many of you who are passionate about running and can relate to the mental and physical boost it provides. For you running nuts, I wanted to do a short series that gives a fresh look to an old movement.

First off, I won't talk about the cardiovascular and general health benefits that running provides. You all know about that and it's been well researched and written about by hundreds of authorities. Instead, let's start by looking at the hormonal milieu that your body goes through.

A 2008 paper in the European Journal of Internal Medicine found that cortisol levels are increased after running a marathon. This comes as no surprise as cortisol is famous for being a "stress hormone." A 26.2 mile race is quite a physical stressor.

Cortisol itself is a great hormone but in today's hectic world, the "emotional marathon" of daily life takes its toll. Coupled with other physical demands such as irregular meal times & sleep deficit, we continue to tax the adrenal glands (the body part that produces cortisol) until there is either overburden or outright fatigue of these glands.

In other words, training with "burned out" adrenal glands can be hazardous. We'll make a case in future blog entries.