Walk away from excess running, researchers say

You’ve heard of the runner’s high. Researchers now want you to hear about runner’s plaque — coronary artery plaque.

In short: Running super-long distances for many years might backfire on you.

“Years of extreme exercise efforts appear to erase some benefits you get from moderate exercise, so that your risk of heart disease, of dying of coronary disease, is the same as a sedentary person,” said James O’Keefe, preventive cardiologist at St. Luke’s Hospital.