Can exercise do more harm than good? Mini-heart research is uncovering new answers

AI Summary

Researchers are using the Micro-Athlete heart-on-a-chip to investigate how excessive exercise, including marathon and Ironman-level training, may affect cardiovascular health. The technology could help uncover links between intense exercise and heart disease.

"Exercise is medicine" is a commonly quoted phrase. But as is so often the case with medications, more is not always better. What counts as too much exercise, and how can it affect the heart? Does running a marathon or competing in an Ironman triathlon boost your health, or might it do the opposite? The development of the Micro-Athlete mini-heart (a heart-on-a-chip that mimics the human heart) is giving researchers valuable new insights into cardiovascular disease.