That running is beneficial for your health is certainly well known. But new research indicates that the benefits of running can be achieved with minimal effort and allocated time.

The newly published study Leisure-Time Running Reduces All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Risk indicates that only five minutes of running per day can significantly reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

The study has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and is indeed extensive. It uses data from the so-called Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, which comprise 55,137 adults, aged between 18 and 100 (with a mean age of 44). And these participants were followed for 15 years.

During this, a total of 3,413 participants died and of these 1,217 died from cardiovascular disease. Compensating for other variables, the researchers set about to examine a possible relationship between running habits and longevity in general and death from cardiovascular disease in particular.

The researchers then found that people who ran just 50 minutes or less per week received the same benefits as those who ran more than three hours weekly. That is, there was no difference in mortality between running less than an hour a week compared to running over three hours. And the benefits implies three more years to be added to your lifespan.

Overall, those who ran regularly had 30 percent less mortality from any cause, and 45 percent less likely to die of heart disease or myocardial infarction.

From a public health perspective, the promotion of running is as important as avoiding smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure, according to the researchers.

Those participants who ran consistently over a period of six years had on average the most significant benefits. These runners had a 29 percent lower risk of death in general and a 50 percent lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke.

So go ahead and get out and run, it doesn’t need to be a long run!

Results:
During a mean follow-up of 15 years, 3,413 all-cause and 1,217 cardiovascular deaths occurred. Approximately 24% of adults participated in running in this population. Compared with nonrunners, runners had 30% and 45% lower adjusted risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively, with a 3-year life expectancy benefit. In dose-response analyses, the mortality benefits in runners were similar across quintiles of running time, distance, frequency, amount, and speed, compared with nonrunners. Weekly running even
Conclusions:
Running, even 5 to 10 min/day and at slow speeds

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Leisure-Time Running Reduces All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Risk
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