BERKELEY, Calif., May 7 Exercising while aging is effective in preventing extreme weight gain linked to high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases, says a U.S. study.
Paul Williams, of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, tracked 6,119 men and 2,221 women who maintained their weekly running mileage -- to within 3 miles of the total per week -- over a seven-year period.
The study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found that on average, the men and women who ran more than 30 miles per week gained half the weight of those who ran less than 15 miles per week.
In addition, the study found that between the time subjects entered the study and when they were re-contacted seven years later, the men ages 25 to 34 gained 1.4 pounds annually if they ran less than 15 miles per week. In addition, male runners gained 0.8 pounds annually if they ran between 15 and 30 miles per week, and 0.6 pounds annually if they ran more than 30 miles per week, according to Williams.
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