Mantra for long and healthy life-run!

The most common blessings given by elders in India are “Ayushman bhava” which means “may you live a long life”
If you want to have a long life, you need to run daily as running can add up to 3 years to your life. Although running is a popular free-time physical activity, little is known about the long-term effects of running on long and healthy life. A study was conducted on 55,137 adults, with an average age of 44 years and their running habits were examined and their correlation with risks associated with all-cause and heart diseases related deaths.Running routines of these individuals were assessed on a medical history questionnaire under free-time activity.
They were assessed for a period of 15 years during which time 3,413 deaths due to all-cause and 1,217 deaths due to heart and blood vessels diseases occurred.
Compared with non runners, runners had 30% and 45% lower risks of all-cause and heart and blood vessels diseases related deaths, respectively, with 3-years added to their lifespan.
It was noticed that weekly running even less than 51 min, less than 9.6 km, 1 to 2 times, or even at less than 9.6km/h was sufficient to reduce risk of death, compared with not running. Persistent runners had the most significant benefits, with 29% and 50% lower risks of all-cause and heart and blood vessels diseases related deaths, respectively, compared with never-runners.
There were reduced risks of death from all causes and heart and blood vessels diseases even in people who ran for 5-10 minutes/day at a very low speed of less than 9.6km/h.
This is a eye opener for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Run on a routine basis for a long and healthy life.
Ref- Lee D et al.J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;64(5):472-481.
With contribution from: Dr. Rishi Gupta, Sr. Interventional Cardiologist, Director Cardiology, Asian Institute of Medical Science, Faridabad
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