A regular jog is the path to a long and healthy life
RUNNING is by far the best road to a long life, say researchers.
In a wide-ranging study, scientists found that getting the heart pumping through exercise does more to increase lifespan than anything else.
Their detailed checklist put running, brisk walks and other forms of exercise top of the list for longevity.
In total, they concluded, regular runs can add just over three years to our lives, with every 60-minute jog adding around seven hours.
But other exercise that gets the blood pumping is equally useful for those who find pounding the pavements too arduous.
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The study, which looked at data from several previous papers involving more than 55,000 people aged 18 to 100 over a period of 15 years, also found that eating a “Mediterranean diet”, quitting smoking, losing weight and drinking half a glass of wine a day also contribute to a long life.
Central to the Mediterranean diet are vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans, peas, olive oil and fish.
But by far the biggest factor was exercise – and in particular running.
Lead author of the paper Duck-chul Lee, an assistant professor at Iowa State University where the research was carried out, explained: “We found runners showed bigger significant reductions in mortality than people active in other types of exercise.”
Overall, the team found that people who ran and also did other forms of exercise lowered their risk of premature death by a staggering 43 per cent. Runners without any other exercise lowered their risk by 30 per cent.
And those who exercised but did not specifically run still lowered their risk by 12 per cent.
The research team concluded that running appeared to have a far more beneficial effect than most other lifestyle choices that have long been the focus of health campaigns by governments and the United Nations. Heart disease remains the biggest killer in the UK, claiming around 160,000 lives a year.
The British Heart Foundation recommends that people carry out at least 150 minutes of exercise a week to combat the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.
A spokesman explained: “Physical activity can help reduce your risk of heart disease. It can also help you control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and improve your mental health – helping you to look and feel great.”
He added: “If 150 minutes seems like a lot, don’t worry. You can break it down into 10 minute sessions throughout the day and build up from there.”
The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showed life expectancy in the UK is an average of 79 for men and 83 for women.
The new longevity study was published in the journal Progress In Cardiovascular Diseases.