35 Minutes of Weekly Running Improves Lifespan: Study

Five minutes of daily running lowers risk of dying from heart disease, according to a study.

Recent research found people who spend five minutes every day running at a speed they are comfortable with live longer than their non-running peers. Experts at the Iowa State University used data of 55,000 people aged over 18 enrolled in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study to record their daily physical activity levels for a period of 15 years. Over the entire trial period, nearly 1,217 people succumbed to cardiovascular issues.

They observed running benefited all individuals irrespective of age, sex, BMI levels, pre-existing health conditions and risky behaviors like smoking and drinking. These subjects had 30 percent less mortality risk and 45 percent reduced chances of dying from heart diseases and stroke.

Guidelines by the American Heart Association recommend adults to indulge in 150 minutes of moderate and intense weekly physical activity. Health experts urge people to get at least 30 minutes of exercises like running, brisk walking, dancing, swimming and jogging to boost stamina, flexibility and control blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

But, the current study noted no differences in mortality rate among those involved in 30 minutes of weekly running and people who ran for more than two hours.

"Runners are generally in better physical condition with less body fat, lower blood pressure, and fewer medical problems," said Duck-chul Lee, study author and assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University, reports the Boston Globe.

"You can get significant health benefits even if you don't reach that 75 minutes per week," he adds.

The research is available in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.