Obvious Things: Harmful Mountain Climbing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This one goes in the "Things That Are Obvious to People Who Prize Common Sense" file: "If you\u2019ve ever fantasized about scaling Mount Everest, think again.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2009\/06\/obvious-things-harmful-mountain-climbing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Obvious Things: Harmful Mountain Climbing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This one goes in the "Things That Are Obvious to People Who Prize Common Sense" file: "If you\u2019ve ever fantasized about scaling Mount Everest, think again.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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{"id":1667,"date":"2009-06-10T21:16:09","date_gmt":"2009-06-10T21:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owenstrachan.com\/?p=1667"},"modified":"2009-06-10T21:16:09","modified_gmt":"2009-06-10T21:16:09","slug":"obvious-things-harmful-mountain-climbing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2009\/06\/obvious-things-harmful-mountain-climbing\/","title":{"rendered":"Obvious Things: Harmful Mountain Climbing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"climbing_480\"$ This one goes in the \u201cThings That Are Obvious to People Who Prize Common Sense\u201d file<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever fantasized about scaling Mount Everest, think again. A new study of professional mountain climbers shows that high-altitude climbing causes a subtle loss of brain cells and motor function.\u201d<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s more:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scientists, who published their findings in the October issue of the European Journal of Neurology<\/a>, compared the climbers\u2019 M.R.I. brain scans with 19 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. A number of neuropsychological tests were also carried out to assess the climbers\u2019 cognitive abilities, including memory and motor functions.<\/p>\n

On scans, the climbers showed a reduction in both white and gray matter in various parts of the brain. Overall, the researchers found that the cognitive abilities that were most likely to be affected were the climbers\u2019 executive function and memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kinda makes sense, doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Extreme sports can be fun, but they can also be quite harmful, allowing us to trifle with our bodies in pursuit of unnecessary fun.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s great wisdom in remembering one\u2019s creatureliness.\u00a0 We are human, finite, and ultimately frail.\u00a0 Many Americans have in the last thirty years pushed against this common sense.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice when science confirms it, but one is also aware that we shouldn\u2019t need science and its studies to make our decisions for us.<\/p>\n

(Photo: Tony Smith for the NYT)<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"