Morning jog can raise life expectancy by 5 years, study says

[Sudhir-Architect]

Morning jog can raise life expectancy by 5 years, study says

NEW DELHI: You can add at least five extra years to your life by going for a jog every morning,

Now, regular jogging has been found to dramatically increase life expectancy. European Society of Cardiology (ESC) said on Thursday that the life expectancy of a man, who jogs regularly increases by 6.2 years and that of a woman by 5.6 years.

And that too by jogging between just about one and two-and-a-half hours per week at a "slow or average" pace - a recipe that doctors say delivers optimum benefits for longevity. Jogging, says doctors, delivers multiple health benefits.

It improves oxygen uptake, increases insulin sensitivity, improves lipid profiles (raising HDL and lowering triglycerides), lowers blood pressure, reduces platelet aggregation, raises fibrinolytic activity, improves cardiac function, bone density and immune function.

It also reduces inflammation markers, prevents obesity and improves psychological function.

Peter Schnohr, who spearheaded the Copenhagen City Heart study, said, "The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health. We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits."

He added, "Mortality is lower in people reporting moderate jogging than in non-joggers or those undertaking extreme levels of exercise."

The finding should help an average Indian get off h/his couch to catch up on a moderate jog for at least four times a week.

Cardiology society of India president Dr Ashok Seth, however, says brisk walking that covers 5-6 km per hour is as good as jogging.

"Physical activity is the single most important determinant of energy expenditure and is fundamental to energy balance and weight control. Around 40 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five days a week, including five minutes of warm up and five minutes of cool down is a must. All risk factors of diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, stress and hypertension are controlled by a single activity, exercise," Dr Seth said.

He added, "If one can just about speak a single sentence, he is walking at the right pace. If he is able to talk comfortably, he is walking slowly. And if he cannot speak a single sentence, he is walking too fast."

Indians aren't sweating it out enough.

The Planning Commission says a quarter of men (24%) and one-third of women (34%) of women report inadequate physical activity (defined as 1-149 minutes of activity in seven days). The proportion with inadequate physical activity is 39% and 27% in urban and rural areas, respectively. High income group is by and large more physically inactive (28.6% vs. 24.7%) as compared to low-income group.

The Indian Council for Medical Research says work related sedentariness is high in urban (64.1%) and peri-urban areas (44.8%) as compared to rural areas (39.0%). Leisure time physical inactivity was as high as 84.3% in urban, 87.9% in peri-urban/slum and 86% in rural areas.

Results show that in the follow-up period of 35 years, 10,158 deaths were registered among non-joggers and 122 deaths among joggers.

The first data was collected between 1976 to 1978, the second (1981-83), the third (1991-94), and the fourth (2001-03).

For the jogging sub-study, the mortality of 1,116 male joggers and 762 female joggers was compared to the non-joggers. All participants were asked to answer questions about the amount of time they spent jogging each week, and to rate their own perceptions of pace (defined as slow, average, and fast).

Schnohr, who is based at Copenhagen's Bispebjerg University Hospital, said, "The improved psychological well-being may be down to the fact that people have more social interactions when they're out jogging."

The debate over jogging first kicked off in the 1970s, when middle-aged men took an interest in the past-time. "After a few men died while out on a run, various newspapers suggested that jogging might be too strenuous for ordinary middle aged people," recalled Schnohr.

The study is a prospective cardiovascular population study of around 20,000 men and women aged between 20 and 93 years. It made use of the Copenhagen Population Register, set out to increase knowledge about prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The study has resulted in publication of over 750 papers, has expanded to include other diseases such as heart failure, pulmonary diseases, allergy, epilepsy, dementia, sleep-apnea and genetics.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//articleshow/12988494.cms?intenttarget=no

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Sudhir Srinivasan
B.Arch, MSc.CPM, Dip.ID, Dip.CAD, Dip.PM
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