Running boosts longevity, study shows

Run for a total of two hours a week and you might extend your life by over three years.

That’s the encouraging finding from a study by scientists at the Cooper Institute in Dallas who compared running with the longevity benefits of walking and biking, as well as other types of exercise.

Publishing their findings in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, they showed all activities, done regularly, reduced the risk of premature death by about 12%, but none matched running for its lifespan extending powers.

People who run for 2-4 hours a week live 3.2 years longer than non-runners, they reported, and running cuts the risk of premature mortality by 25 to 40%.

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