Regular Jogging Boosts Life Expectany: Study

Men and women who undertake regular jogging are more likely to live longer compared with their less active counterparts, a Copenhagen City Heart study says.

The research which compared longevity of about 2,000 Danish joggers with their less active peers demonstrated that the activity was associated with a 44 percent reduction in the relative risk of death over 35 years.  According to the findings presented at EuroPRevent2012 conference in Dublin, jogging increased men’s life expectancy by 6.2 years and women’s expected life span by 5.6 years. 

Scientists also found that gentle jogging was associated with more added years of life. 

“We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity,” said lead researcher Dr. Peter Schnohr. “The good news is that you don’t actually need to do that much to reap the benefits.” 

Jogging provides multiple health benefits such as boosting oxygen uptake, insulin sensitivity, good cholesterol level and cardiovascular function, scientists say. 

Jogging also improves immune system activity, and lowers inflammation, mental problems, obesity and cancer risk.