It’s no secret that running improves heart health. Study after study indicates that those who hit the pavement on a regular basis live healthier and longer lives. But, now, researchers have discovered that measuring how fast a person runs a mile is an accurate indicator of the risk for heart problems in older age.
Using a treadmill stress test on subjects, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and the Cooper Institute in Dallas examined cardiovascular endurance and fatigue during a one-mile run. The result? The ability for a man in his 50s to run a mile in 8 minutes or less or for a similarly aged woman to cover the same distance in 9 minutes, is a strong indicator of heart disease risk in the 80s.
“Your fitness level when you’re young is highly predictive of heart disease risk 30 to 40 years later,” notes Jarrett D. Berry, MD, MS, assistant professor of internal medicine and cardiology at Southwestern Medical school and co-author of two papers appearing last April in Circulation and The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr. Berry says that a 9-minute mile for men and a 10:30 mile for women is an indicator of moderate fitness. Men who exceed a 10-minute mile and women who cannot cover a mile in 12 minutes fall into a low fitness category.
The study reported that individuals with high fitness levels have a 10 percent lifetime risk of heart disease while those in the high risk category have a 30 percent risk. Although Dr. Berry cautions that additional research is required before these time thresholds are used as benchmarks, the basic message is clear: The faster you can run a mile the lower your risk of heart disease later in life.
Of course, not everyone can run without pain or problems. In some cases, cyclists and swimmers among them, individuals may have as high a fitness level without ever setting foot on a treadmill or track. Moreover, it’s unwise to begin an aggressive training regimen without a prior checkup or time yourself over a mile if you’ve been inactive. However, the basic message is clear: exercise builds a healthier heart.
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