Running: Overdoing it not healthy
The researchers, from the Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen found that running can be good for you, but not at speeds of 7 miles per hour and over. Running each week a few times at a moderate pace will improve your health and help you live longer. But overdoing it with high speeds won’t offer those same benefits.
The numbers are quite surprising. Looking at data from 1,098 people who categorized themselves as runners, they found that those who ran fast and often were nine times more likely to die a premature death than those who ran at a moderate clip of around 5 mph. two or three times in a week.
The Danish study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also looked at 413 persons who were healthy but who did not jog at all. Their death rate and the death rate of the fast joggers were similar. It was the moderate paced joggers who ran no more than three times each week who lived the longest.
“It is important to emphasize that the pace of jogging corresponds to very vigorous exercise,” researcher Dr. Peter Schnohr said. “When performed for decades, this activity level could pose health risks, especially to the cardiovascular system.:
“If your goal is to decrease risk of death and improve life expectancy, jogging a few times a week at a moderate pace is a good strategy. Anything more is not just unnecessary, it may be harmful.”
Dr. Schnohr said there seems to to be an “upper limit for exercise dosing that is optimal for health benefits.”
