Even short runs bring great health benefits

Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise in America. It may also be one of the healthiest.

Numerous long-term studies, some involving thousands of participants, have shown that running benefits people physically and mentally. Research has also found that runners tend to live longer and have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer than non-runners.

One might assume that to reap the greatest rewards you need to regularly run long distances, but there is strong evidence linking even very short, occasional runs to significant health benefits, especially when it comes to longevity and mental well-being.

We’ve found that running something like a two-mile run a few times a week provides virtually all of the benefits of running in terms of lower mortality, said Dr. James H. OKeefe, director of preventive cardiology at the St. America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri.

Why short runs can be so good for you

Over the past decade, Dr. OKeefe has published several studies on running for health and longevity. In one such study, he and his colleagues analyzed long-term health and exercise data collected from about 5,000 European adults aged 20 to 92. Compared to non-runners, people who ran between one and 2.4 hours per week at a slow or moderate pace had the greatest reductions in mortality, even greater than among runners who logged more miles at a slower pace. fast.

Other researchers have reached similar conclusions.

For example, a 15-year study of more than 55,000 Americans ages 18 to 100 found that running just five to 10 minutes a day at a slow pace (less than six miles per hour) was associated with significantly reduced risks. for all causes of death. It was also enough to extend a person’s life by several years.

When it comes to running, the biggest health and mortality benefits occur early on, said Dr. Duck-chul Lee, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor of physical activity epidemiology at Iowa State University. Even running less than a mile, assuming a person is running at least a few days a week, is enough to significantly improve cardiovascular health and longevity, said Dr.

The physiological benefits of running can be attributed to a group of molecules known as exercins, so called because various organ systems in the body release them in response to exercise. Although research on exerkines is relatively new, studies have linked them to reducing harmful inflammation, generating new blood vessels and regenerating cellular mitochondria, said Dr. Lisa Chow, a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota who has published research in exercise.

Much about these molecules requires further study. But Dr. Chow said research has already found that brief bouts of vigorous exercise, such as short runs, are enough to trigger some of these exercise-related benefits.

Short runs can also improve your mental health.

A recent review of research on exercise and depression found that adults who got the widely recommended 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity per week had a 25% lower risk of depression compared to people who did no exercise at all. But those who completed just half of the recommended 2.5 hours a week still had an 18% lower risk of depression compared to people who didn’t exercise. The findings suggest that most of the reduction appears to occur upfront.

If someone started running at least once or twice a week instead of not exercising at all, that’s when we’d see the greatest benefits in terms of mental health, said Karmel Choi, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has investigated the relationship between exercise and depression.

A little goes a long way

Running can be a strenuous exercise. While some people love the challenge and rush of endorphins from long runs, they’re not for everyone. But there’s a lot to be gained by putting one foot in front of the other, even if it’s just a walk around the block.

The growing consensus in the field is that the benefits of running begin to accrue within minutes, said Dr. Rajesh Vedanthan, associate professor of population health at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, who has studied the relationship between running and longevity. .

The main message here, he added, is that any physical activity is much better than none.