Everything In Moderation: Excessive Runs May Actually Shorten Your Life

Exercise is essential to our overall health and well-being. Yet too much could also cut our lives short.

New research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals that jogging short distances may be healthier than longer ones.

Researchers examined information from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which involved 5,048 health participants. They monitored 1,098 joggers and 413 healthy but sedentary non-joggers for 12 years.

After accounting for hours of jogging, frequency and participant's perception of pace, they found that light joggers had the lowest rates of death. Yet strenuous joggers were more likely to die sooner than sedentary, healthy individuals who did not jog.

The findings showed 28 deaths among joggers and 128 among sedentary non-joggers. Joggers were also more likely to have less health issues and slimmer with better health habits.

Jogging from 1 to a little over 2 hours a week was linked with the lowest mortality rates and optimal frequency was no more than three times per week.

"It is important to emphasize that the pace of the slow joggers corresponds to vigorous exercise and strenuous jogging corresponds to very vigorous exercise," lead study author Dr. Peter Schnohr, MD, DMSc, of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, said in a news release. "When performed for decades, this activity level could pose health risks, especially to the cardiovascular system."

If your goal is to stay fit and essentially lengthen your lifespan, remember-everything in moderation. Researchers reiterated how the findings are similar to previous studies suggesting that anything greater than moderate exercise can shorten lifespan.

"The U-shaped association between jogging and mortality suggests there may be an upper limit for exercise dosing that is optimal for health benefits," Schnohr said. "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."

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