Getting to the bottom of the runner s high
16 Mar, 2021 01:02 AM
5 minutes to read
Runners develop a gentle intoxication, known as a runner s high. Photo / 123RF
New York Times
For years we ve been crediting endorphins, but it s really about the endocannabinoids. We can stop crediting endorphins, the natural opioid painkillers produced by our bodies, for the floaty euphoria we often feel during aerobic exercise, according to a nifty new study of men, women and treadmills. In the study, runners developed a gentle intoxication, known as a runner s high, even if researchers had blocked their bodies ability to respond to endorphins, suggesting that those substances could not be behind the buzz. Instead, the study suggests, a different set of biochemicals resembling internally homegrown versions of cannabis, better known as marijuana, are likely to be responsible.
The runner’s high is a result of endocannabinoid receptors in your body, rather than the release of endorphins, which was previously believed to be true.
That feeling of euphoria and reduced anxiety you might during exercise is caused by cannabis-like molecules naturally produced by the body, German researchers found in a new study.
That buzzy, floaty, 'I can do anything' feeling at the end of the run isn't created by endorphins, but instead by a homegrown set of biochemicals similar to cannabis
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