Health Study Running over 2.5 hours a week can lower our life expectancy

No more than 2.5 hours of jogging a week
Sport is healthy and keeps us fit. But how much exercise can we expect our body? A study by the Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen (Denmark) showed that too much jogging is harmful to your health. In the journal "Journal of the American College of Cardiology", the scientists write that on average 2.5 hours per week should not be exceeded.

"People who are physically active have at least a 30% lower risk of dying, compared to those who are inactive," the scientists report. However, this basically positive statement is relativized on closer examination of the weekly sports program.

The evaluation of the relationship between jogging and all-cause mortality in the current Danish study found that in intense jogging the mortality is similar to that of non-runners. Light to moderate jogging from one to 2.4 hours per week was associated with the lowest mortality, according to the scientists.

Not too much jogging - it could hurt your health. Image: Martinan - fotolia

Intense jogging increases mortality
For their study, the researchers around Peter Schnohr used the data from the "Copenhagen City Heart Study", in which 1,098 healthy joggers and 3,950 healthy non-joggers have been observed since 2001. They analyzed possible relationships between the mortality and the intensity of the jogging, taking into account the pace, duration and frequency of running. The lowest mortality was observed at a frequency of two to three times a week at a slow to average pace, write Schnohr and colleagues.

According to the researchers, more than 2.5 hours of jogging per week is accompanied by a rise in mortality rates and in intensive joggers who jog more than four hours a week at high walking speeds, the mortality rate is statistically at the same level as the non-joggers.

Easy to moderate jogging recommended
If a certain amount of jogging is exceeded, the health benefits are lost, according to the Danish researchers. The likelihood of potentially fatal diseases of the cardiovascular system (eg, heart attack or stroke) is initially reduced by the exercise, but with intense jogging the risk obviously increases again.

The Danish researchers therefore recommend easy to moderate jogging to maximize health benefits. The pace should not be set too high, the running units should not take more than an hour and more than three times a week jogging is taboo. If these guidelines are adhered to, jogging has significant positive health effects and significantly reduces the risk of dying. (sb, fp)