• The associations between running and all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality risk were examined in 55,137 adults between 18 and 100 years of age. Running was assessed via a medical history questionnaire (leisure-time activity). Mean follow-up time was 15 years. Compared with non-runners, runners experienced 30% and 45% lower adjusted risks for all-cause and CV deaths, respectively, which translated into a 3-year life expectancy benefit. Of note, weekly running of <51 minutes (<8 minutes per day), <6 miles, and 1 to 2 times resulted in reduced mortality risk. Compared with never-runners, persistent runners experienced the most significant benefits (29% and 50% lower risks of all-cause and CV mortality, respectively).

• The authors conclude that even 5 to 10 minutes per day of running at slow speeds (<6 miles per hour) is associated with significantly reduced risks of all-cause and CV-related mortality.

Primary Care
Written by Peter Lin MD, CCFP
The headline of this article—this one statement—will get people thinking that this is doable.

This study was conducted via a survey of patients in Dallas. The researchers asked how long the respondents ran, how far, how intensely. They put all the numbers together, and determined a reduction of 30% in all-cause mortality and 45% in cardiovascular mortality in the runners compared with the non-runners.

The researchers looked at differences based on how long someone ran and how hard. Interestingly, there was not much difference between someone who ran a little or a lot in terms of impact on mortality.

A bit of math is what made this story so remarkable. A 20-minute run twice a week is 40 minutes. Divide that by 7 (for 7 days), and it breaks down to 5 or 6 minutes per day. So, perhaps our recommendations to our patients should be not to just exercise 5 minutes but to start with 5 minutes—and even that is associated with some benefit—and increase the duration of the run by 1 minute every few days.

The benefit most likely is due to the increase in circulation. With the muscles working, the vessels get a signal to vasodilate, leading to better perfusion. Also, with larger pipes, it is easier for the heart to pump. In addition, the body goes from storage mode to burning mode, wherein glucose and fat are burned to fuel the muscles’ activity. So, with just a few steps of running, signals are sent to make the body do the right things, things that the muscles and heart were designed to do.

Let’s just get moving. Start with the 5-minutes message to hook the patients and then up-sell them to do just a bit more.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Although running is a popular leisure-time physical activity, little is known about the long-term effects of running on mortality. The dose-response relations between running, as well as the change in running behaviors over time, and mortality remain uncertain.

OBJECTIVES
We examined the associations of running with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risks in 55,137 adults, 18 to 100 years of age (mean age 44 years).

METHODS
Running was assessed on a medical history questionnaire by leisure-time activity.

RESULTS
During a mean follow-up of 15 years, 3,413 all-cause and 1,217 cardiovascular deaths occurred. Approximately 24% of adults participated in running in this population. Compared with nonrunners, runners had 30% and 45% lower adjusted risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively, with a 3-year life expectancy benefit. In dose-response analyses, the mortality benefits in runners were similar across quintiles of running time, distance, frequency, amount, and speed, compared with nonrunners. Weekly running even <51 min, <6 miles, 1 to 2 times, <506 metabolic equivalent-minutes, or <6 miles/h was sufficient to reduce risk of mortality, compared with not running. In the analyses of change in running behaviors and mortality, persistent runners had the most significant benefits, with 29% and 50% lower risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively, compared with never-runners.

CONCLUSIONS
Running, even 5 to 10 min/day and at slow speeds <6 miles/h, is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. This study may motivate healthy but sedentary individuals to begin and continue running for substantial and attainable mortality benefits.

Story Source

Journal Reference