Running ‘can slow aging process’

August 12, 2008 | Source: BBC News

Stanford University Medical Center researchers have found that running on a regular basis can slow the effects of aging for elderly joggers.

The runners were half as likely to die prematurely from conditions like cancer than non-runners, and enjoyed a healthier life with fewer disabilities and delayed onset of disability.

The researchers tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years, comparing them to a similar group of non-runners. All were in their 50s at the start of the study.

Nineteen years into the study, 34% of the non-runners had died compared to only 15% of the runners, and for the runners, the onset of disability started an average of 16 years later. Running appeared to slow the rate of heart and artery related deaths, and was also associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.

There was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or need total knee replacements than non-runners.