And it was associated with a 30 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 23 per cent lower risk of death from cancer. Even small 'doses', for example, once weekly or less, lasting less than 50 minutes each time, and at a speed below 6 miles (8 km) an hour, still seemed to be associated with significant health/longevity benefits.
So running for 25 minutes less than the recommended weekly duration of vigorous physical activity could reduce the risk of death. This makes running a potentially good option for those whose main obstacle to doing enough exercise is lack of time, suggest the researchers.
But upping 'the dose' wasn't associated with a further lowering of the risk of death from any cause, the analysis showed. This is an observational study, and as such, can't establish the cause. And the researchers caution that the number of included studies was small and their methods varied considerably, which may have influenced the results.
Nevertheless, they suggest that any amount of running is better than none: "Increased rates of participation in running, regardless of its dose, would probably lead to substantial improvements in population health and longevity."
