Maybe triathletes have a tendency to use more supplements, in general, and fish oil, in particular, than open water swimmers? Or maybe the population is a whole lot larger.
Skip Interesting theory. They checked for a bunch of different supplements and fish oil was the only one that emerged as problematic.
My (entirely unresearched) sense is that wetsuit use is much more common among triathletes. Maybe that could play a role too? :dunno:
Wet suits can, indeed, girdle the body in such a way as to potentially increase core blood pressure above and beyond what the water and cold already do. I also wondered if SIPE was more likely in fresh water or salt water, but it's rare enough that I don't think they had the data to know for sure.
Maybe it's that triathlete competitions are the msot populoar of "ultra..." sports (here by "ultra" I mean something significantly longer than a marathon.)
I wondered that, too, but it seems that most SIPE problems develop in the water, or very soon thereafter. I asked the lead researcher if the additional stress of biking and then running increased the likelihood, but he said it is induced by swimming. Interestingly, race horses have been known to develop pulmonary edema from running, but whether people can get it this way (i.e., with no swimming component) is controversial in the exercise physiology research world.
I suspect the main take away is don't take even the most "beneficial" of supplements in levels that would be virtually impossible to obtain through diet alone. I am not sure how many blue marlins Jeremy would need to eat a day to get the equivalent of 9 x 1200 mg capsules, but I daresay he'd weigh a bit more if he consumed his fish oil by eating actual fish as opposed to swallowing lozenges!
Just a wild possibility, chronic exhaust fume inhalation? My lungs would burn after a hard bike ride. Many rides were took us through areas of traffic while pushing the pace. Never experienced any lung burning sensation after swimming.
Just a wild possibility, chronic exhaust fume inhalation? My lungs would burn after a hard bike ride. Many rides were took us through areas of traffic while pushing the pace. Never experienced any lung burning sensation after swimming.
It was Kona during the World Ironman Championships. Can't believe there was traffic to contend with.
Former Member
The lead researcher of the paper on swimming-induced pulmonary edema has had a lot more luck finding cases among triathletes than dedicated OW swimmers.
My (entirely unresearched) sense is that wetsuit use is much more common among triathletes. Maybe that could play a role too? :dunno:
Former Member
Maybe it's that triathlete competitions are the msot populoar of "ultra..." sports (here by "ultra" I mean something significantly longer than a marathon.)
Not sure why this was not included in the original article. Seems like a natural next step in research for this topic.
Hypervitaminosis
www.nlm.nih.gov/.../000350.htm
Wet suits can, indeed, girdle the body in such a way as to potentially increase core blood pressure above and beyond what the water and cold already do. I also wondered if SIPE was more likely in fresh water or salt water, but it's rare enough that I don't think they had the data to know for sure.
Im thinking like Ellen (ekw). My experience swimming in a wet suit this past year was that the mild increase in pressure on the gut resulted in more burping stuff up, especially after about 2k of swimming. Basically, i experienced indigestion but no SIPE symptoms.
Because the wet suit compresses the chest, it would seem the lungs must work harder against this increased pressure. What impact does increased lung pressure have on lung capillaries, oxygen transfer and potential ruptures?
Additionally, the wetsuit compresses the extremities and blood pressure increases in response, again what's the impact on capillaries and transfer?
Just a wild possibility, chronic exhaust fume inhalation? My lungs would burn after a hard bike ride. Many rides were took us through areas of traffic while pushing the pace. Never experienced any lung burning sensation after swimming.
I swim and bike, and regularly ride along busy highways, yes even during rush hour. And I even have asthma. And I've never had an issue from exhaust fumes.
I've been taking fish oil for at least 3-4 years, and never had any issues.
The Hidden Danger of Fish Oil Supplements
By our very own Jim Thornton
Other Men's Health articles by Jim Thornton
Why thank you ever so kindly, Anna Lea!
The lead researcher of the paper on swimming-induced pulmonary edema has had a lot more luck finding cases among triathletes than dedicated OW swimmers.
If you are an Open Water swimmer who has had problems in the past with pulmonary edema (basically, coughing up foamy, pink-tinged sputum), please post something here on it.
I personally wonder if running and cycling has a training impact on your lungs that is different and possibly deleterious to the lung training you get from dedicated swimming alone. Not many runners or cyclists get pulmonary edema, and it's possible not too many open water swimmers do either, in which case perhaps there's something about the combined demands of water and land sports in triathlons that's triggering the problem.
PS the link to my other articles that Anna Lea mentioned only include piece written specifically for the online edition of the magazine. The print articles are on there, too, though not always that easy to ferret out.
