For those who dread hitting the treadmill or going outside for a run, the latest findings from researchers presenting a study at the European Society of Cardiology may compel some laggards to, literally, run for their lives: Jogging, even for as little as one hour (total) a week can increase a man s life expectancy by 6.2 years and a woman s by 5.6 years.
The results were obtained from the Copenhagen City Heart study, which compared the mortality rates between joggers and non-joggers who participated in a population study including 20,000 people. The mortality data were obtained over a period dating from 1976, with an average follow-up time of 35 years.
According to lead researcher Dr. Peter Schnohr, jogging for a total of one to two and a half hours per week provides the greatest benefit. The relationship appears much like alcohol intake, he says. Mortality is lower in people reporting moderate jogging, than in non-joggers or those undertaking extreme levels of exercise.
Though ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross is on board with advising folks to get out there and get more exercise, he wonders if the latest findings are a result of mixing up cause and effect. Isn t it equally as likely that people who simply lead more healthful lifestyles are also more likely to jog and therefore live longer? he asks. Further, Dr. Schnohr s description of his retrospective, self-reported results as allowing us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health, is far from scientifically valid.
Perhaps. But in this case, following the study s recommendation will still yield beneficial results.