Too Much Jogging May be Bad for Your Health and Longevity

Take it easy when you go jogging. Scientists have taken a closer look at runners and have found that jogging may be best in small quantities when it comes to your health.

In this latest study, the researchers examined hours of jogging, frequency, and the individual's perception of pace. In all, the scientists tracked 1,098 healthy joggers and 413 healthy but sedentary non-joggers for 12 years.

So what did they find? Jogging from 1 to 2.4 hours per week was associated with the lowest mortality. The optimal frequency of jogging was no more than three times per week. In addition, significantly lower mortality rates were found in those with a slow or moderate jogging pace, while fast-paced joggers had almost the same mortality risk as the sedentary non-joggers.

In all, the researchers registered 28 deaths among joggers and 128 deaths among sedentary non-joggers. In general, the joggers were younger, had lower blood pressure and body mass index, and had a lower prevalence of smoking and diabetes.

"It is important to emphasize that the pace of the slow joggers corresponds to vigorous exercise and strenuous jogging corresponds to very vigorous exercise," said Peter Schnohr, one of the researchers, in a news release. "When performed for decades, this activity level could pose health risks, especially to the cardiovascular system. The U-shaped association between jogging and mortality suggests there may be an upper limit for exercise dosing that is optimal for health benefits. 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."

The findings are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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