In Case You’re Looking For Yet Another Excuse To Skip The Gym, Too Much Exercise Can Actually Poison And Kill You

If you find yourself running out of legit excuses to skip working out — it’s too expensive, I don’t have the time, I’m attaining dad bod — here’s a new excuse that will get people off your fat back. Too much exercise can actually poison you.

A study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that extreme exercise can actually have the same effects as sepsis, or blood poisoning, on the bodies of under-prepared athletes.

Scientific American reports that in the study, researchers sampled the blood of 17 runners before and after a 24-hour ultramarathon (anywhere from 75 to 130 miles). During the race, gut bacteria escaped into the runners blood stream due to a lack of blood flow to the intestines and the jarring physical trauma of extreme exercise.

The gut bacteria released toxins into the runners’ blood streams, triggering an immune response in the body resulting in inflammation.

You’re probably laughing and wondering “who’s dumb enough to workout for hours and hours on their first time in the gym?” to which I answer “anyone on the Biggest Loser and absolute morons.”

Good news for people who regularly torture themselves with exhausting and grueling exercises — they’re pretty much immune to any possible gut poisons. Well-trained competitors are equipped with a counterattack the poison due to frequent training because their bodies eventually become familiar with the gut bacteria release.

Just like your body grew accustomed to doughnuts instead of bread on sandwiches.

[via Ask Men]

Chris Illuminati avatar
Chris Illuminati is a 5-time published author and recovering a**hole who writes about running, parenting, and professional wrestling.