Photo by Tomasz Woźniak on Unsplash
There are many benefits to exercise in general, however some studies have specifically focused on the health benefits of running. So if you have ever wanted to get out and run, here are some good reasons to choose this form of exercise, and the good news is you don’t need to run far or fast to reap the benefits.
Cardiovascular disease
Running is an excellent means of conditioning the cardiovascular system. It is a highly aerobic activity that utilises both fatty acids and carbohydrates for energy. The typical runner tends to have a slow resting pulse rate and a high maximal oxygen consumption. Echocardiographic studies show that distance runners have larger, thicker left ventricles than do sedentary controls; their hearts are more efficient than those of sedentary people, pumping a larger volume per beat.
Obesity
Obesity is a complex disease and also is a risk factor in many other diseases like Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and can add additional stress to joints causing osteoarthritis. Usually, obesity results from a combination of inherited factors, combined with the environment and personal diet and exercise choices.
Jogging was found to be the most effective form of weight reduction in a study of Chinese adults. Those with a family history of obesity, who had a regular routine of jogging, were significantly more likely to have healthier BMIs, body fat percentages, and other weight indicators, in spite of their high-risk genes, researchers found. This suggests that jogging allowed them to mitigate the negative impacts of their genetics, along with losing weight.
Osteoporosis, especially post-menopause
Weight-bearing exercise decreases the risk of osteoporosis, and it seems that putting bones under more stress will make them stronger and denser, in the same way strengthening muscles makes them bigger.
Sports medicine specialist Kevin McGuinness explains, “Our bodies build bone mass when we apply stress along the full length of our bones, which is what happens when we run. Bones build structure in response to the stresses applied to them, and for the weight-bearing bones, such as those in our legs and hips, you need to apply stresses while upright, working against gravity, in a weight-bearing fashion.”
Respiratory conditions
Running improves aerobic endurance, and is one of its great health benefits. The lungs bring oxygen into the body, to provide energy, and remove carbon dioxide, the waste product created when you produce energy. The heart pumps the oxygen to the muscles that are doing the exercise.
When you exercise and your muscles work harder, your body uses more oxygen and produces more carbon dioxide. To cope with this extra demand, your breathing has to increase from about 15 times a minute (12 litres of air) when you are resting, up to about 40–60 times a minute (100 litres of air) during exercise. Your circulation also speeds up to take the oxygen to the muscles so that they can keep moving.
However, regular exercise can increase the strength and function of your muscles, making them more efficient. Your muscles will require less oxygen to move and they will produce less carbon dioxide. This will immediately reduce the amount of air you will need to breathe in and out for a given exercise.
Depression
Aerobic exercise produces endorphins, which give s feeling of euphoria as well as relieve stress and pain. This has a positive effect on relieving depression.
“In addition, there is an emerging, more sophisticated view of running to improve mental health that also takes into account long-term structural changes in the brain as well as subjective states like mood and cognition”, says Scott Douglas. The brain may process hashed over topics differently when running, allowing them to come and go with less negative impact.
Cancer
Exercise may decrease cancer incidence and slow the growth rate of tumors researchers at the University of Copenhagen found in a study of mice. The health benefits of running went beyond tumor formation and growth, extending to reducing cancer-associated weight loss.
The researchers say that the production of adrenaline stimulated by exercise results in a mobilisation of immune cells, specifically one type of immune cell called a Natural Killer (NK) cell, which can infiltrate the tumor slowing or preventing cancer growth.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time and most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine.
You would think that running may cause osteoarthritis, however studies show this is not the case. Researchers who compared long-term effects of walking, running and other strenuous forms of exercise found that running significantly decreased the risk of hip and knee replacement, while other forms of exercise increased it.
If you already have osteoarthritis in the knees be sure not to push yourself enough for knee pain to increase.
Disability
Running assists with balance. “When you run, you never have both feet on the ground at the same time,” said Ian Hankins, head men’s cross-country and track and field coach at the Catholic University of America. “Everything needs to line up at the center of your body so you don’t fall over.
A longitudinal study of runners initially 50-72 years old concluded that vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage. Disability was measured by rising, dressing and grooming, hygiene, eating, walking, reach, grip, and activities. This translates to a better quality of life in old age.
In conclusion
You can see there are considerable health benefits of running, but the risk of soft tissue injury, especially as we age, means we need to consider whether the benefits of running outweigh the possible risk of injury. To run or not to run, that is the question.
Željko Pedišić: Running may help you live longer but more isn’t necessarily better
JD Cantwell: Cardiovascular aspects of running
Mayo Clinic: Obesity
Gabby Landsverk: There’s now evidence that jogging is the best exercise for people whose genes make them more likely to be obese
Carolee Belkin Walker: Why running is so beneficial for older women
Sheff: Your Lungs and Exercise
Scott Douglas: For Depression and Anxiety, Running Is a Unique Therapy
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Run for your life: Exercise protects against cancer
Mayo Clinic: Osteoarthritis
Arthritis Foundation: Running with Knee OsteoarthritisCarolee Belkin Walker: Why Balance can Make or Break a Runner
Eliza F. Chakravarty, et al: Reduced Disability and Mortality among Aging Runners: a 21-year Longitudinal Study