If the phrase “run for your life” did not originate in Hollywood adventure films, that was certainly where it gained modern currency. You can readily imagine chisel-jawed heroes from films as far back as the 30s cleverly assessing situations involving exploding volcanoes and/or armed hoardes and instructing their companions to make haste in order to survive, or more pithily expressed in a shouted, “Run for your life!” Little did those celluloid heroes or the typewriter jockeys who gave them their lines realise the truth contained in the phrase because new research shows that running does actually preserve your life, not by getting you out of the way of a lava flow but simply by promoting longevity.

In the study researchers had men and women with an average of 69 take part. The subjects were people who either ran or walked regularly for exercise. “Regular” was defined as walking or running three times a week at least for 30 minutes minimum at a time. All of the subjects were asked to walk on a force-measuring treadmill at three different speeds; 2.5kph, 4.8kph, and 6.2kph. While they did this the researchers measured their oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production as measures of walking efficiency.

The results showed that people who run regularly have a much lower metabolic cost from walking than people who walk regularly. As you get older your maximum aerobic capacity declines but according to this study it does it at a slower rate if you run rather than walk regularly. In effect people who run remain better at walking as they get older even when compared to people who walk a lot. The researchers interpret this as saying that running slows down the ageing process.

So as Stewart Granger, Bruce Willis, and Johnny Depp have no all no doubt said at some point, “Quick! Run for your life!”

Imagine a movie hero; he has a substantial stubble on a chiselled jaw, his eyes are hard but speak a depth of experience and sorrows past, his shirt is unnecessarily open to his chest, and his hair is tousled and thick (and, you suspect, just a little too dark for someone of his apparent age). He senses danger in the air and without turning to face the heaving-bosomed, chestnut-haired heroine utters a stark, “You better run for your life, kid.” It might have been Bogart, could have been Stallone or it may have been Matt Damon; it is the kind of clear-thinking advice that spans the generations. Now it seems there may be a whole other level to this sage Hollywood wisdom because, as well as getting you on the other side of the bush from marauding hordes with evil intent, a new study shows that running can actually prolong your life in other ways, and you don’t have to do much of it.

The study drew on a large pool of data drawn from more than 55,000 people aged between 18 and 100. The subjects were followed for an average of 15 years and their physical activity habits were revealed though a medical history questionnaire.

The analysis found that people who ran on a regular basis each week were 30 per cent less likely to die from all causes than those who did not run. Additionally, the runners were 45 per cent less likely to die from cardiovascular causes. Overall, the researchers calculated that runners were likely to live three years longer than non-runners. None of this may be totally surprising but the amount of running you have to do to achieve these life-lengthening benefits may be of interest.

The results showed that even 5-10 minutes a day of running will increase your lifespan. In fact, longevity increased whether people ran an hour a week or more than three hours per week. So you don’t need to do a mini-marathon every day to receive the benefits of the run, in fact the researchers say that too much running may have downsides like joint damage. So, if you are thinking you can’t do the running you need to reap the rewards, then just get started; even a little regular running is good for you…in the long run.

Phrases rarely pass into popular parlance without them having some accuracy behind them. “He’s got a head like a half-chewed Mintie,” for instance maintains currency because some people do, indeed, have a cranium that resembles semi-masticated candy. So too the phrase “run for your life” has endured because since our hunter-gatherer days humans have appreciated that a good turn of speed can have favourable implications for your longevity. Now a new study, of more than 20,000 people has shown there is an even stronger link than ever with regular running and a longer life.

The analysis was done on data gathered from The Copenhagen City Heart Study which started in 1976 and is a prospective cardiovascular population study of around 20,000 men and women aged between 20 to 93 years old. For the jogging sub study, the researchers compared the mortality of 1116 male joggers and 762 female joggers to the non joggers in the main study population.

The data was gathered four times between 1976 and 2003 and the figures showed that jogging lowered the risk of death for both men and women by 44 per cent. Additionally, jogging increased the lifespan of men by 6.2 years and of women by 5.6 years.

The amount of jogging that was found to be effective was between one and two and a half hours each week at a slow or average pace over two or three sessions. According to the researchers you should aim to feel a little breathless but not very breathless.

Jogging probably increases longevity because it does a range of physical things including; improving oxygen uptake, reducing blood pressure, increasing insulin sensitivity, improving heart function, increasing bone density, reducing inflammation, improving immune function, preventing obesity, and so the list goes on. The researchers also say that jogging provides an opportunity for social interactions which improves psychological wellbeing.

These findings are based on a good sample size and the logic is hard to argue with; you really can run for a longer life.