Any amount of running is good for you – according to research suggesting it is linked to a similar reduction in the risk of early death no matter how many hours you clock up a week or how fast you go.
Researchers say the latest findings push back against result from other studies, which have hinted benefits increase with more running, but might drop at very high levels.
The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, focused on 14 previous studies based on six different groups of participants. These totalled more than 230,000 people who were followed over periods ranging from 5.5 to 35 years.
“Any running is probably good for your health and you can achieve those benefits by running even just once a week or running 50 minutes a week,” said Dr Zeljko Pedisic, the first author of the research. “But that shouldn’t discourage those who run more than that amount – who maybe enjoy running three times a week or six times a week.”
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