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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Can people get too much exercise? Mitochondria hint that the answer is yes

Elite athletes help to reveal the costs of intense physical activity.
Tired athlete after the finish during the 2016 Athens Marathon

A marathoner rests after crossing the finish line. Extreme fitness regimens can hinder the body’s ability to keep blood sugar levels in trim. Credit: John Tsotras/Getty

Regular exercise is a boon to health, but fanatical workouts might have a metabolic downside. A new analysis suggests that highly intensive exercise blunts the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar because it impairs mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell.

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Nature 591, 504 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00703-x

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