Running 7 minutes a day 'halves heart death risk'

Conclusion This well-conducted cohort study found running is associated with a reduction in risk of death from any cause and death from cardiovascular disease during a 15-year follow-up. It calculated running was associated with a three-year increase in life expectancy. The study also found short duration running (less than 51 minutes a week, equivalent to less than approximately seven minutes a day) or running at slow speeds was associated with a reduction in risk. As this was a cohort study, it cannot show running caused the reduction in risk of death. It is possible there were other differences between runners and non-runners that can explain the association seen. As the researchers note, a key factor that was not adjusted for in their analyses was diet. There is also the possibility healthy people run more, rather than the act of running making people healthy. However, the researchers did perform a subgroup analysis where they analysed unhealthy individuals (who had an abnormal electrocardiogram, high blood pressure, diabetes, or hypercholesterolemia) and healthy individuals separately, and running was associated with a reduced risk of death in both groups. Strengths of the study include its size and the long follow-up period. However, it was limited by the fact the majority of participants were white, middle to upper class adults. This means the results may not be applicable to other populations. The study also relied on self-reporting to a certain extent. As people ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news