Researchers at Denmark’s Bispebjerg University Hospital have shown thatjogging can prolong life. Specifically, doing physical exercise by runningbetween 1 hour and 2.5 hours a week, distributed in two or three sessions and at a medium speed, can increase longevity up to 5.6 years in men and up to 6.2 years in women. Most surprisingly, as Peter Schnohr, head of the study, explains, “you don’t have to spend a lot of time running to see the benefits of this exercise.”
The study, launched in 1976 to analyze the cardiovascular health of a population of 20,000 men and women between the ages of 20 and 93, has shown that the habit of running regularly hasclearly visible effects on mortality risk, that in the experimentsdropped by as much as 44% in those who exercised regularly. The relationship is “even more apparent than that between moderate alcohol intake and longevity,” the scientists conclude. In addition, mortality is lower both compared to those who do not exercise and compared to subjects who practice extreme levels of physical exercise. For optimal health benefits, Schnohr says runners “should notice that they breathe harder than when they walk, butnever run out of breath“.
In addition to lengthening life, running increases oxygenation and insulin sensitivity, reduces blood pressure, improves heart function and combats overweight, among other advantages.
