ITWire

After nineteen years of study, the researchers found that 34% of the non-runners had died, but only 15% of the runners were deceased. The research also found that runners were leaner (had less body fat) and less likely to smoke than non-runners.

The Stanford researchers also found that the runners were aging slower than their counterparts based on the HAQ index.

They found that older runners have fewer disabilities than their non-running counterparts; along with the tendency to be more active as they get into their 70s and 80s and less likely than non-runners to die early deaths.

According to the researchers abstract to their paper, “Disability and survival curves continued to diverge between groups after the 21-year follow-up as participants approached their ninth decade of life.”

Dr. Fries stated, "If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.” [KOLD News (Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.): “Can You Outrun Death?”]

The KOLD article stated, “Everyone in the study became more disabled after 21 years, but for runners the onset of disability started later. Perhaps not surprisingly, running was linked to lower rates of cardiovascular deaths from causes such as stroke and heart attack."

It added, "However, it also was associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections, and other causes, according to the findings.”

The study (“Reduced Disability and Mortality Among Aging Runners”) was published in the August 11, 2008 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.