By Ryan Woolley
This article is the second in a series that seeks to create a conversation around how to achieve balance in running. For all of its simplicity, a lot of factors can influence how we move through the world as experts in human powered locomotion. In the first article of the Check Yourself (Before You Wreck Yourself) series, I wrote about how the body can respond to overuse. Below, while continuing to refer to my own experience, I begin to discuss the why.
Part Three: A Different Kind of Builder
We're all builders. As soon as we know how, we begin to build a life for ourselves that straddles the line between contentment and growth. No one will tell you that this process is straight forward. It requires a number of different tools, all accrued piece-by-piece, many changes or iterations to the original blueprint, and probably a number of different contractors along the way; each with their own idea of how to interpret that plan that you hold in your hands.
For a runner, to build is to break down. That is to say that running, in and of itself, is a form of stress. As you set your gaze on some far flung adventure in the (not too distant… *touches wood*) future, any part of your build up, no matter how big or small, will involve exposing your body to a good old dose of controlled stress. With recovery, however, the body responds to this stress: it adapts. As a result, the heart can pump a little more blood per beat; joints, tendon, and muscle become more robust; and you become a little more familiar with the motion of each step. As you continue your life as a runner, this cycle will continue - stress, rest, adapt, stress, rest… build.
Your ability to balance each of these components overtime will invariably determine the type of runner that you become. As you move through this process, you will continue to build something bigger and stronger. Over time, that ticky tacky building will be torn down and replaced with a timber frame. Perhaps, with that extra 20 miles each week, you'll add an extra story. As you begin to race and work on some more specific elements of your training, you'll renovate the kitchen and bathroom. Perhaps, years of work as a builder has left you with a frame that can withstand the elements, no matter what the season.
But, what about the foundation? Over years, even the strongest structure can collapse under its own weight. Sometimes, from the beginning, these structures are built on uneven ground or on material that struggles to hold its own. The foundation of any successful runner should be considered the prerequisite of any successful training program. A good night's sleep, time for relaxation and restoration, time for other fulfilling endeavors in life: All of these, in my opinion, set the athlete (or any human, for that matter) up to achieve their own version of success. This article interfaces with one tiny but crucial piece of that foundation: Essential minerals.
Earlier this year, in response to an infrequent heart arrhythmia and ongoing achilles tendonitis, I reached out to Gary Moller, a Health Practitioner based in Wellington, New Zealand. As a means to determine the root cause of ill health or poor performance, Gary relies on his deep understanding of a client's Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA). The HTMA uses a sample of hair to measure mineral content in tissue. Note that the HTMA test is by no means a diagnostic tool. Instead, when read by a trained practitioner using several tests over a long period of time, it can be used to infer potential (this is my disclaimer). With Gary’s recommendation, I decided to cut an inch from my best lock of hair and sent it to a lab in Texas. In three weeks, I would be receiving a glimpse into the status of key trace elements that play a pivotal role in my health and wellbeing.
Part Four: "A Little Rust Around the Chassis”
This is all it was to Gary. "You've just got a little rust around the chassis", he said after reading through my test results. After likening me to an athlete who is a little later in his career (I'm 31), Gary started our conversation with some global issues that are frequently found to impact the health of runners and other endurance athletes. A lot of what I was seeing came down to the accumulation of stress over a long period of time, causing excessive loss of minerals that play an integral role in my health and wellbeing. Though, it also seems that I was likely to be burning the candle at both ends.
According to Gary, nutrient-poor soils have been contributing to a global diet that is devoid of any good stuff before anyone even thinks about frying the life right out of it. During background research, I discovered that “one analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables to have dropped 27 percent; iron levels 37 percent; vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent." Monocropping and the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers across decades are beginning to undermine the basic tenets of a healthy diet.
Part Five: The Analysis…
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
The mineral-scape of my HTMA shows a system that is struggling to heal itself and remain in balance. Though several aspects of running cause stress on the body, our simple use of oxygen tends to be the most insidious. As an inevitable part of oxidative metabolism of carbohydrate and fat, the body produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which wreck havoc at a cellular level. In theory, ROS are said to play a big role in the run-away aging process. Thankfully, several of the minerals listed above help the body to form a defense system that can neutralize ROS, allowing the body to maintain balance. Copper, for example, helps in the formation of the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), which neutralizes the damaging superoxide radical (DiNicolantonio, Mangan & O’Keefe, 2018). Manganese also plays a crucial role in minimizing oxidative damage. As a component of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), it acts as the "chief ROS scavenging enzyme" within the powerhouse of the cell - the mitochondria (Holley, Bakthavatchalu, Velez-Roman, & St. Clair, 2011). Holley, et al. note that any factor that results in a reduction of MnSOD can have "extraordinary consequences on the overall health of the cell… leading to the development and progression of numerous diseases" (p. 7114).
Selenium plays a pivotal role in the body's ability to recover from endurance events. Similar to copper and manganese, selenium responds to oxidative stress through its role in the formation of glutathione peroxidase, another enzyme that protects the body from oxidative damage. Note that exhaustive (being the operative word) exercise can also cause oxidative damage beyond the working muscle. It can also affect the liver, heart, and lung tissue in animals (Baltaci, Mogulkoc, Akil & Bicer, 2016). Adequate intake of selenium can therefore allow the whole system to buffer some damaging aspects of the daily grind. In a review article, Baltaci et al. (2016) discuss that selenium may also be associated with heart morphology in athletes. Further, in one meta-analysis exploring the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and selenium, the authors found concentrations of this mineral to be inversely associated with CVD risk (Flores-Mateo, Navas-Acien, Pastor-Barriuso, & Guallar, 2007).
Gary's image of rust forming under the chassis of my apparently old frame becomes more clear through these two paragraphs. Without compensating for the oxidative damage of exhaustive exercise, the foundation starts to crumble a little; cracks begin to appear. As rust spreads across the chassis, joints stiffen and parts wear thin.
Sitting at only a third of its ideal height, my copper column seemed as though it needed a fair amount of attention. Beyond being a buffering agent in the fight against ROS, copper is also important for immune function and cardiovascular health. In fact, its role in heart health has only recently drawn the attention of the scientific community. Though heart disease has a long history of being attributed to elevated LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol from dietary saturated fat, recent meta analysis has found no evidence of this association (DiNicolantonio, Mangan & O’Keefe, 2018). As an alternative, copper deficiency has recently been touted as a contributor of ischaemic heart disease. Deficiency has been reported to promote the development of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in rodents. Further, repletion of copper has led to a rapid reversal of these developments. Deficiency has also been found to cause changes in gene expression with cardiac muscle tissue, leading to altered contractility and calcium fibrosis - both of which are red flags in heart health.
Magnesium is a big hitter. Recently, it has been found to be the wonder child of the mineral world based on the role that it plays in some 300 biological reactions within the body. These are mainly related to energy production, muscular contraction and relaxation, cardiac activity, bone metabolism, and nerve function. The evidence of its role in exercise performance is also difficult to ignore -several studies have shown magnesium to reduce work output through a decrease in heart rate and oxygen uptake during submaximal intensities.It is also vital in the conversion of glycogen (stored carbohydrate) to glucose (a form of available energy currency) during higher intensity forms of exercise, or the later stages of a long distance effort. Based on its role in energy production, the demand for magnesium is likely to increase as any runner continues to stoke the flames of any targeted training program (Zhang, Xun, Wang, Mao, and He, 2017). Though I was sitting in the reference range, pictured above, I needed to top up my stores.
Considering the influence of mercury and lead on iron and selenium
If minerals are an essential ingredient in the mortar of your foundation as a runner, then heavy metals act as their antithesis. As toxicants, elements such as mercury, lead, and arsenic are known to interfere with a lot of minerals that are so important to our health, such as iron and zinc. However, it is not the ingestion of heavy metals alone that can lead to their absorption and impact on the body. D'Souza, Menezes, and Venkatesh (2003) mention that calcium and iron deficiency can cause lead levels to increase via absorption through the gastrointestinal tract. Conversely, adequate uptake of micronutrients in the diet can have a protective effect in minimizing the absorption of lead. In a cruel attempt to kick a man while he's down (I'm just trying to be dramatic), it seems that heavy metals are only able to take hold when our health isn't in the best shape. Zinc, one of the minerals impacted through heavy metal absorption, is abundant in connective tissue, causing it to play an integral role in tendon and ligament health.
Part Six: Removing the Rust
The ratio between mineral pairings
So, where to from here? Rebuild, but from the ground up. With my results in hand, Gary was able to recommend a number of supplements that will help me to turn the ship around; each intended to play a role in addressing some of the issues that appeared on the HTMA. But, this shouldn’t be a piecemeal effort: achieving harmony across the board requires approaching the HTMA from a systems perspective. Though absolute levels are important, ratios between specific mineral groups (Ca/P, Ca/Mg, Fe/Cu) have the final say. Simply taking one mineral in isolation in an attempt to top up one column can impact the absorption or utilization of others. In this sense, retesting will be required a few months down the road to see how each of these ratios responds. And, it's likely that this process will continue for a while: rinse and repeat; build, re-build... adapt. As I’ve moved through my running life, I’ve slowly started to discover that this sport isn’t just about hitting the road, trail, or track each day. It’s also about being aware of how life beyond running can influence your experience of it. Though exploring the HTMA has at times felt overly granular or fanatic, I know that developing an understanding of this aspect of my health is going to be crucial if I’m to continue exploring in the way that I do.
In the final article of this series, I'll be taking a step back while connecting some of the key points discussed in the first two articles. I’ll be exploring how viewing health through a holistic lens can ensure that we remain happy and fulfilled in our pursuits, regardless of where they take us.
About the Author
Raised in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, Ryan Woolley is a distance runner with a passion for ultra and mountain events. He also has a love for guitar, banjo, drawing, and Quentin Tarantino films. He currently resides in Colorado with his partner, Roni, and dog, Henry.
References:
DiNicolantonio, J. J., Mangan, D., & O’Keefe, J. H. (2018). Copper deficiency may be a leading cause of ischaemic heart disease. Open Heart. 5. doi:10.1136/ openhrt-2018-000784
Holley, A. K., Bakthavatchalu, V., Velez-Roman, J. M., & St. Clair, D. K. (2011). Manganese superoxide dismutase: Guardian of the powerhouse. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 12(10), 7114-7162. doi: 10.3390/ijms12107114
Baltaci, A. K., Mogulkoc, R., Akil, M., & Bicer, M. (2016). Selenium: Its metabolism in relation to exercise. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 29(5), 1719-1725.
Flores-Mateo, G., Navas-Acien, A., Pastor-Barriuso, R., & Guallar, E. (2007). Selenium and coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84(4), 762-773. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/84.4.762.
Zhang, Y., Xun, P., Wang, R., Mao, L., & He, K. (2017). Can magnesium enhance exercise performance? Nutrients, 9(9), 946. doi: 10.3390/nu9090946
D'Souza, H. S., Menezes, G., & Venkatesh, T. (2003). Role of essential trace minerals on the absorption of heavy metals with special reference to lead. Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry. 18(2), 154-160.