Science Vs. Sport

How did people ever get the idea that exercise – apart from the mental kind – is healthy?

Anon.

Perceptions:

Each day we are bombarded by ad campaigns, slogans and messages proclaiming the “big die-off is here” and that we can only save ourselves by shredding those extra pounds at the gym – but how does this conventional wisdom stand up to scientific analysis?

In short, not very well.

It seems like common sense that those of us who go through gruelling workouts, sweaty runs and gruesome gym sessions would develop the physical stamina to go on fighting into old age; but it would appear that’s not the case. In the last century, human life expectancy has soared to double what it was in the early 19th Century, while human activity rates have seen a definite slump. From this you would be perfectly within your rights to claim that it pays to be lazy – yet no one does.

Least of all boathouse coaches, who convince their crews that the only way in which a sport-less Christmas could pay off, is if you prefer spectating to sculling.

This obsession with promoting an active and “healthy” lifestyle goes even further however, to penetrate what we often perceive as the least compassionate parts of society. In Cambridge, companies sponsor all levels of rowing, from the John Lewis branding on junior quads, to BNY Mellon’s logo emblazoned on Boat Race vehicles. Even the Amsterdam Medical Centre – who should know better – organises an annual charity run.

Case and point – Amsterdam 2009 – A&E:

In January 2009, the canals and waterways of Holland and the Netherlands froze, so rowers swapped one set of blades for another, dug out their skates and pirouetted the night away. Nearly half the country hit the ice at some point – some quite literally.

That year, the Dutch Health Services struggled to cope with the 10,000 extra patients admitted with broken limbs, hypothermia and related ailments; no more a contribution to public health than the flights bringing injured winter sports participants back from the snowy regions each year.

To continue with an analysis of the Netherlands, each year 1.5 million A&E admissions are as a direct result of sporting injuries; to an even more shocking level, over half of all paediatric admissions in the UK are sporting-related.

Reality:

As we have just seen, banning sports would make all our waiting list woes disappear overnight. For us oarsmen, the long term neuro-trauma risk is low, compared to boxers who can end up with lasting brain damage, or kickboxers who run the same risk, but with a 10 fold increase in probability. Long-distance runners have been falling down dead since the first marathon in Greece, whilst around 15% of paraplegics have incurred their injuries from sport.

Many decades before running became a fashion statement, the renowned neurologist Frans Stam looked out of his window onto a square in Amsterdam to see a man emerge from a house opposite, run around the square several times then return home. He repeated this several times a day for many weeks until he was hospitalised with Picks disease, a form of dementia where the prefrontal cortex atrophies (dies) resulting in behavioural disorders. Since learning of that story, I’ve been sure to keep my distance from joggers.

No one seems too concerned that rowers – much like the majority of other athletes have an increased risk of contracting ALS, a form of motor neurone disease. Whilst as we have seen recently in Russia, the uncomfortable truth is harm from sports is often self-inflicted with athletes injecting themselves with anabolic steroids, whilst in a broader sense, copious exercise is the most common symptom of anorexia nervosa.

It seems the Dutch magazine Vrij Nederland wasn’t far wrong when it once jokingly claimed that “half the population plays sport, while the other half drive them to hospital.”

You could argue that these are minor risks that we accept so we can – on balance – live longer and healthier lives. But this isn’t the case. The statistics that claim to support the positive effects of exercise are based not on properly controlled clinical trials, but rather cross-examination of people who opted to take up a sport for a period of time, meaning it’s impossible to draw valid conclusions.

This problem is emphasised by the research carried out by Raymond Pearl in the 1920s that found extreme physical exercise actually shortens lifespan. Similar research by Michel Hoffman shows that metabolism and brain size – across all species – affects lifespan. The higher the metabolism the shorter the lifespan. This supports previous findings from longitudinal studies that show athletes at Harvard University have significantly shorter lifespans than their less sporty classmates. Think of this using a fly, the more darting movements in the air it makes, the shorter it lives. However, prevent it from flying by confining it in a small space, and it lives up to three times longer.

The other factor that affects lifespan – brain size – means, simply put, the more massive it is, the longer you’re likely to live. You can have a large degree of control over brain size, providing a constant stream of new and varying information will form new neural pathways, for example by providing a data-rich environment for children.

So, if you’re still convinced you have to take up a sport; how about chess?

Conclusions:

Of course, there are benefits to exercise – believe it or not – both physically and psychosocially, however, we should bear in mind that a healthy life is not obtained by pounding out a 2K, beating your mates squat PB or running 12 marathons for the 12 days of Christmas.

Instead, exercise should complement a diverse life rich with a healthy diet, a strong emotional support network and plenty of data to absorb.

So this Christmas, don’t concern yourself if you haven’t burnt 10,00 calories Christmas Eve – in fact, you might just save the planet with one less hospital trip.

With thanks: Professor Dick Swaab M.D. PhD

The Head Season will continue after Christmas, as will our coverage of all the major events around the UK. Look out for our season preview to highlight what the JRN team will be delivering in the early part of 2020 as SHORR looms on the horizon. 

Can’t wait that long? Neither can we, so JRN Opinion will continue to output content over Christmas period so we can all get our fix of festive rowing! Look out for our winter training tips as well as pre-season thoughts and interviews.

Still hungry for more? Check the Opinion team’s work here, and our regular content stream here. 

Ed Evans 

Opinions Editor 

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