Jogging could actually be BAD for you: Too much running increases risk of early death



People who do a moderate amount of exercise live the longest

Those who do none at all, or too much, have shorter lifespans

Experts recommend running for two to three hours per week

People who do a moderate amount of exercise - about two to three hours jogging a week - live the longest

Most people feel very virtuous, even slightly smug, after going for a jog.



But new research suggests too much jogging could actually lead to early death.



U.S researchers found that the people who live for the longest are those who do a moderate amount of exercise.



This amounts to two to three hours of running a week, Health Day reports.



However, the research showed that people who do a lot of running, and those who do none, both have shorter lifespans.



The researchers are unsure why this is but say it does not seem to be related to heart health.



The researchers, from the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, in Pennsylvania, studied more than 3,800 runners.



The participants were both men and women and had an average age of 46.



Nearly 70 per cent of the participants said they ran more than 20 miles a week.



The researchers took into account what medication the people were taking and also whether they had high blood pressure, high cholesterol or a history of smoking.



They found that none of these factors could be used to explain why the people who ran the furthest had shorter lifespans.

Dr Martin Matsumura, who led the study, said he does not tell people not to go running on the basis of the research.

However, he does advise that people who do a lot of running should keep abreast of research into links between lifespan and excessive running.



People who take no exercise, and those who do too much, have shorter lifespans but experts don't know why

‘What we still don't understand is defining the optimal dose of running for health and longevity,’ he told Health Day.



Dr James O’Keefe, who reviewed the research, believes the findings could be caused by ‘wear and tear’ on the bodies of people who do a lot of running.



He advises people to aim for about two and a half hours of slow to moderate paced running a week.