Health Benefits of Running
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. The disease killed almost 600,000 people in 2010 alone. If reducing the risk of certain cancers wasn’t enough motivation, consider the benefits that running can have for your heart. Running helps to reduce both blood pressure and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while boosting HDL (“good”) cholesterol and insulin sensitivity. It is especially important for individuals with conditions like diabetes and multiple sclerosis to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, as these patients have an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events like stroke and heart failure.
Reviewed by:
Review Date:
April 21, 2014Citation:
National Multiple Sclerosis Society, "Exercise" The Journal Of The American Medical Association, "Energy expenditure with indoor exercise machines." Medicine And Science In Sports And Exercise, "Exercise mode and gender comparisons of energy expenditure at self-selected intens Journal Of Aging Research, "Benefits of Exercise in Rheumatoid Arthritis" NPR, "Put Those Shoes On: Running Won't Kill Your Knees" Stanford, "Running slows the aging clock, Stanford researchers find” Mayo Clinic, "Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress" Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, "Stress and MS" National Psoriasis Foundation, "Psoriasis causes and known triggers" PSU, "Stress, Coping, and Self-Esteem - Applied Social Psychology (ASP)" Concordia University, "Boosting self-esteem prevents health problems for seniors" PLOS One, "Winning Isn't Everything: Mood and Testosterone Regulate the Cortisol Response in Competition" Harvard Medical School, "Exercise and Depression" Mayo Clinic, "Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms" Multiple Sclerosis Journal, "Exercising away the blues: can it help multiple sclerosis-related depression?" Brain Research, "Aerobic fitness is associated with gray matter volume and white matter integrity in multiple sclerosis." American Journal Of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, "Cycling progressive resistance training for people with multiple sclero Multiple Sclerosis, "Fatigue, mood and quality of life improve in MS patients after progressive resistance training" American Journal of Psychiatry, "THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE UPON THE RETARDATION IN CONDITIONS OF DEPRESSION" The Journal Of Nutrition, "Physical activity and cancer prevention: etiologic evidence and biological mechanisms." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Leading Causes of Death" National Cancer Institute, "Physical Activity and Cancer" Circulation, "Exercise and Cardiovascular Health" Circulation, "Exercise and Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease" Multiple Sclerosis, "High risk of cardiovascular diseases after diagnosis of multiple sclerosis." National Institute of Cancer, “Sleep Disorders in Cancer Patients” Mayo Clinic, "Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic" Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, "Sleep and MS" American College of Rheumatology, “Exercise and Arthritis” The Oncologist, "Cancer-related fatigue and sleep disorders." Science Daily, "Regular Exercise Plays A Consistent And Significant Role In Reducing Fatigue" Springer, "Aerobic exercise boosts brain power" Clinical Interventions In Aging, "Effectiveness of coordination exercise in improving cognitive function in older adults: a pros Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Physical Activity and Health" Harvard Medical School, "Better Balance: Easy exercises to improve stability and prevent falls" Courtesy of Konstantin Sutyagin | Dreamstime Courtesy of Wavebreakmedia Ltd | Dreamstime Courtesy of Bewuel | Dreamstime Courtesy of Martinmark | Dreamstime Courtesy of Viktor Pravdica | Dreamstime Courtesy of Martinmark | Dreamstime Courtesy of Martinmark | Dreamstime Courtesy of Yulia Saponova | Dreamstime Courtesy of Viorel Dudau | Dreamstime Courtesy of Hongqi Zhang (aka Michael Zhang) Courtesy of Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime Courtesy of Yanlev | Dreamstime
Last Updated:
July 1, 2014