Regular Running Can Slow the Aging Process

It is undeniable that youthfulness is quickly becoming a modern obsession.  For those struggling to stay young, there is good news: A longitudinal study conducted over two decades by Stanford University School of Medicine in California may have revealed the key to postponing the onset of the aging process. 

Lead researcher James Fries, M.D. and colleagues surveyed 538 members of a nationwide running club and 423 healthy controls from Northern California.  Participants were 50 years and older when the study started in 1984.  Over a period of 21 years, participants completed self-administered questionnaires annually by mail about exercise frequency, body mass index, and ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing, and grooming. Accessing national death records, researchers discovered that after 19 years, 34% of controls (non-runners) had died, compared to only 15% of runners, proving that running provides a noteworthy survival advantage.

“The study has a very pro-exercise message,” says Dr. Fries.  Functional ability levels were higher in runners at all time points of the study.  Although both groups ultimately became more disabled with age, the onset of disability started much later for runners—an average of 16 years later.  As well, running regularly at middle and older ages is associated with a decrease in illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and neurological disorders. There was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or require knee replacements than non-runners – something scientists have feared.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, JAMA