Running for a longer life . . . and other stories
BMJ 2024; 385 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1101 (Published 23 May 2024) Cite this as: BMJ 2024;385:q1101
Run faster, live longer
As this column often mentions, regular physical exercise is an essential ingredient of a long and healthy life. But perhaps it is possible to take things too far? Could extreme levels of exercise reach a point where they are detrimental to longevity? A survey of the first 200 people, all men, who ran a mile in under four minutes suggests that the answer is no. When current age, if alive, or age at death, if deceased, was compared against the United Nations life tables for country of origin, sub-four minute mile runners lived, on average, about five years longer than their predicted life expectancy (Br J Sports Med doi:10.1136/bjsports-2024-108386).
Olive oil and dementia
The Nurses’ Health Study …
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