According to a new study published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, running for just a few minutes frequently can limit the risk of fatal heart diseases. The runners can choose to perform the exercise as per their own pace, whether at high speed or just a plod. The subjects of this 15-year research comprised of over fifty-five thousand adults aged between 18 to 100 years. Over the 15 years period, the overall health, lifestyle and running patterns of the individuals were considered.
Lowered risk of diseases
Runners benefited from 30% lower risk of death from various causes and a 45% lower risk of fatal cardiac diseases. On an average, runners lived longer than their non-runner counterparts. Even when the data was classified according to factors such as sex, age, BMI and alcohol and cigarette consumption, the benefits derived remained unchanged.
Speed and frequency do not matter
Interestingly, the research has found that the pace and frequency of the exercise had little impact on the benefits derived. Even running for less than 51 minutes, a distance lower than 6 miles and at a pace slower than 6 miles per hour or for a frequency of once or twice a week had a positive impact compared to not running at all.
Consistency
However, to gain the maximum benefit out of the running exercise, consistency was key. Runners who were consistent over a period exceeding 6 years gained more benefits by lowering their risk of death by any reason by 29% and found their risk of cardiovascular diseases lowered by 50%.