Research confirms that running could save your life. Most people think of runners as endurance athletes who cover mile after mile for hours on end. But even people who run slowly for just 5 or 10 minutes a day get a surprisingly big benefit.
Researchers examined data collected by the Aerobic Center Longitudinal Study on 55,000 adults in Dallas, Texas. The follow-up period averaged about 15 years. Approximately one-fourth of the individuals studied characterized themselves as runners.
Those who ran were 30 percent less likely to die during the study. Even more strikingly, they were 45 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular complications. When the scientists calculated the odds based on the 1,217 deaths during the study, they found that not running was riskier than being overweight or having high cholesterol or a family history of heart disease.
The runners were asked how far and how fast they ran, and the groups were compared. It mattered very little whether they ran fast or slowly or whether they ran for long distances or short. As long as they ran at least 50 minutes a week (that’s an average of just over 7 minutes a day), they lowered their likelihood of premature death. Even as little as five minutes daily could make a difference. An accompanying editorial urges doctors to use these data to motivate patients for physical activity, even if it falls short of the half hour daily that is considered ideal.
[Journal of the American College of Cardiology, July 28, 2014]
In The People’s Pharmacy perspective, if doctors could prescribe a drug that would be this effective at preventing heart attacks or other causes of premature death, they’d be all over it. But we don’t need our doctors to tell us to move our bodies; that is something we can decide on our own. With such compelling data, we can’t think of good excuses not to lace up the sneakers and head out the door for at least a little while. A run usually improves our mood, and if it can save our lives, so much the better!
