Any amount of running cuts risks of premature death, study finds

5 November 2019, 09:32

Running can reduce your risk of death, study finds. Picture: PA

By Sylvia DeLuca

Running or jogging for just a short distance on a regular basis may lengthen your life, new research shows.

No matter how fast, far or often you run - any type of running is linked to a significantly lower risk of earlier death, according to researchers from Australia, Thailand and Finland.

"Substantial" health benefits could be seen at population level if more people laced up their trainers, even just for a short jog, the study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed.

Any amount of running was associated with a 27% lower risk of death from all causes over the period of study for both sexes, compared to non-runners.

It was also linked to a 30% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, as well as a 23% lower risk of death from cancer.

A short jog can provide huge benefits, the research showed. Picture: PA

"Increased rates of participation in running, regardless of its dose would probably lead to substantial improvements in population health and longevity," the study concluded.

"Any amount of running, even just once a week, is better than no running, but higher doses of running may not necessarily be associated with greater mortality benefits."

Even running just once a week or less frequently, for less than 50 minutes each time, and at a pace lower than six miles (eight km) an hour was linked to significant health benefits.

The study analysed results from 14 studies of 233,149 people, whose health was tracked for between 5.5 and 35 years.