Exercise is important, and I, myself, go to the gym five times a week. However, as with anything in life, exercise appears to be the most beneficial in moderation. This article certainly should not be used to justify not working out at the gym. Rather, it should be used to re-evaluate the intensity of your workouts and how best to remain healthy in the long run.
The benefits of exercise should not be marginalized. Exercise has been previously shown to play a role in preventing a number of chronic diseases such as "cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression, and osteoporosis." It is prescribed by many doctors because of its ability to reduce stress, anxiety, and premature death.
However, there have also been studies that indicate that increased exercise may be harmful at times. In 2014, a study suggested that the metabolites – such as protons, lactate, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - that are endogenously produced in the body in response to exercise can activate sensory neurons which would signal fatigue and ache in the muscles. Ten human volunteers received infusions of protons, lactate, and ATP in their thumb muscle for 30 seconds. They found that these metabolites lead to lethargy and pain dose-dependently. Thus, this study showed the possible negative sensations evoked by exercise.
A different study in 2019 observed 21,758 men whose physical activities were variable. It was found that "the presence of elevated levels of coronary artery calcifications was more prevalent among highly active men." While the researchers did not find an increase in cardiovascular disease mortality in the highly active men compared to the less active men, calcification build-up may be problematic because research has shown that coronary artery (artery that is supplying the heart with blood) calcification can be "associated with arterial stiffness, which increases risk for adverse cardiovascular events." Furthermore, levels of calcification have been shown to correlate with the extent of atherosclerosis or the buildup of plaque composing of fats and cholesterols inside the walls of arteries and narrowing them.
While this is an interesting finding and perhaps goes against what our common sense would tell us, the calcification study is observational and simply speculative. The true mechanisms of strenuous exercise require additional research into deciphering the molecular basis of such results or validation of these results outside of middle-aged (50-year-old) men that this latter study targeted. While we wait for such studies to get published, however, it is important to engage in moderate exercise given the numerous studies that emphasize the benefits.
