A study conducted by researchers from institutes in Australia, Thailand and Finland has shown that any amount of running reduces the risk of premature death.
The study, which analyzed 14 previous studies from the US, UK, China and Denmark, revealed that overall, people who participate in running of any distance had a 27% lower risk of death from all causes compared with those who did not.
The researchers examined data from 232,149 participants over time periods ranging from 5.5 to 35 years. They said increased running participation "would probably lead to substantial improvements in population health and longevity."
The study also indicated that running could lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer by 30% and 23% respectively. According to the researchers, previous studies had resulted to "inconsistent findings" about whether running could lower the risk of premature death.
Lead researcher Željko Pedišić, a professor at Victoria University in Melbourne, said:  "Our findings may motivate physically inactive individuals to take up running and those who already run to keep on doing it."
He added that the results of their study may prompt doctors and other health promoters "to promote running as a part of 'lifestyle medicine.'"
In their paper, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers mentioned that health professionals are sometimes uncertain of promoting running "because vigorous exertion has been linked with sudden cardiac death."
While Pedišić and his team argue that "the mortality benefit of running outweighs the risk," they agree that advice should be given on a case-by-case basis, as running might not be appropriate for everyone.
The researchers also pointed out that while running has a clear overall health benefit, increasing the amount of running may not necessarily reduce the risk of premature death further.
The World Health Organization (WHO) included in its guidelines that aged between 18 and 64 should take 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.
