Joggers live longer even if they’re overweight

Tokyo — Jogging on a regular basis helps you live longer even if you are overweight because it lays the foundation for a healthier body and provides benefits in addition to weight loss, according to a health specialist.

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Regular jogging improves blood flow and increases a person’s metabolic rate even when resting, according to one Japanese researcher.

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According to Prof. Toshihito Katsumura of the Tokyo Medical University’s Sports Medicine for Health Promotion department, regular jogging improves blood flow and strengthens blood vessels, while drastically increasing the number of capillary blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrition to muscles.

Vascular endothelial growth factor, a type of protein, is triggered as soon as you start jogging. Jogging five days a week increases the amount of capillary blood vessels in the muscles. After just three weeks of jogging, the amount reaches the maximum.

As a result, the oxygen-utilizing capability of muscles is dramatically enhanced, and physical endurance is improved.

According to recent studies, if a jogger runs at a brisk pace for an extended period, the health benefits can continue for many days. Such runs also increases a person’s metabolic rate, even when resting or sleeping.

However, if no jogging is done for five days, the metabolic rate was found to return to the original level, even after several weeks of regular jogging. Thus, it was found that it is important to jog at least once every two days.

In some cases, jogging does not lower weight, blood-sugar levels or cholesterol as much as expected. However, Katsumura said such joggers still “benefit from the exercise.”

To support this claim, Katsumura pointed to a U.S. study that found that the mortality rate for people who regularly do aerobic exercise, which includes jogging, is lower than that of those who do not exercise regularly, even if they are overweight.

While jogging is for your health, in rare cases it can be fatal due to the stress it puts on the heart. Before going for a jog, do not forget to check your health condition.