JOGGING for just an hour a week can increase your life expectancy by around six years, reveal scientists.Even better news is that a gentle jog is better for you than any sort of extreme workout, the study concludes.Researchers found that jogging at a slow or average pace for one or two hours per week can increase the life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years, reducing the risk of death by 44 per cent.The results challenge previous studies into jogging which questioned whether it is healthy or hazardous, with the debate kicking off in the 70s when middle aged men began taking an interest in the exercise.However, following the death of a few men who died while out on a run, the media suggested jogging might be too strenuous for middle aged people, casting doubts over the past-time.As part of the Copenhagen City Heart study, a cardiovascular study of around 20,000 men and women aged 20 to 93, researchers set about quashing previous suggestions that jogging is bad for people’s health.The study has so far resulted in over 750 papers, and has previously explored associations for longevity with different forms of exercise and other factors.Researchers believe jogging delivers multiple health benefits, improving oxygen uptake, lowering blood pressure, preventing obesity, improving cardiac function and improving psychological function, as well as many more benefits.Dr Peter Schnohr, from the Bispebjerg University Hospital, said: ‘The improved psychological wellbeing may be down to fact that people have more social interactions when they’re out jogging.’dailymail.co.uk