Sudden Death in Athletes. In 490 BC, Phidippides, a young Greek messenger, ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens delivering the news of the Greek victory over the Persians, and then he collapsed and died.
This is probably the first recorded incident of sudden death of an athlete. The possibility that young, well-trained athletes at the high school, college, or professional level could die suddenly seems incomprehensible. It is a dramatic and tragic event that devastates families and the community. Sports, per se, are not a cause of enhanced mortality, but they can trigger sudden death in athletes with heart or blood vessel abnormalities by predisposing them to life-threatening heart irregularities.
Sudden death most commonly occurs in football or basketball, accounting for two-thirds of sudden death of athletes in the US. Cardiac causesThe most common causes of sudden death are congenital abnormalities of the heart and blood vessels, or those that are present at birth. Why are high-performance athletes having heart attacks? Fabrice Muamba, a 23-year-old professional soccer player in Britain, collapsed during a game last month after suffering cardiac arrest.
He’s now up and walking. A 27-year-old Indian soccer player was not so lucky: He died a few days after having cardiac arrest during a match. At least six other professional soccer players around the world have died in the last three years from cardiac-related incidents. As well, not a year goes by now without news of a marathoner who died in a race because of a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Stories such as Mr. “Most of these guys and women, mostly guys, are dying of very well-known causes,” says Eric Larose, a cardiologist at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute and a Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson. And there is no higher incidence of sudden death in runners compared to the general population, Dr. What should we be looking for?
“A heart attack is a plumbing problem,” says Dr. “Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem,” Dr. Athletes and heart disease. Fabrice Muamba collapses! * REAL VIDEO * Magnesium: Why Magnesium Matters To Athletes! Ask most athletes to name some key minerals for human performance nutrition and you'll probably find calcium, iron, zinc and even chromium popping up in their lists.
But they are unlikely to mention magnesium. Despite magnesium's pivotal role in energy production, many coaches and athletes remain unaware of its critical importance in maintaining health and performance. Indeed, dietary intakes of magnesium in the West have declined to less than half of those recorded 100 years ago, and are still falling. Yet many scientists believe that the amount of magnesium required for optimum health has been underestimated in the past, and now new research suggests that even small shortfalls in magnesium intake can seriously impair athletic performance. Clearly, magnesium nutrition is an area that no serious athlete can afford to overlook!
Pure magnesium is a silvery-white metal, which burns with a dazzling brilliance - something you've probably seen demonstrated by your science teacher at school! Why Endurance Athletes Need Magnesium. Professional triathlete and nutritionist Pip Taylor explains why Magnesium is an important part of any triathlete’s diet, and gives a list of foods rich in the mineral.
Written by: Pip Taylor Q: I recently had a blood test that showed a magnesium deficiency. What foods are good sources of magnesium (I would prefer not to take a supplement? Is magnesium important for training and racing, or for general health? A: Magnesium is an essential mineral that demands attention when it comes to health assessment. When ATP is broken down, energy is released for all muscle contractions, and when exercising strenuously, this turnover is extremely high, meaning that ATP needs to be synthesized quickly. There is emerging evidence that magnesium requirements are significantly elevated in athletes, and that performance might benefit from higher intakes.
Pumpkin Seeds are an example of high-magnesium food. Magnesium-Rich Foods (Milligrams per 100 grams). Magnesium for Muscle Spasms and Sports Injuries. Magnesium: The Athlete's Mineral. Young Athletes Sudden Heart Attack - Good Morning America - March 10 2011.