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Why jogging solo could be bad for your health

It is news that will be welcomed by anyone who has ever planned an early-morning jog - and then failed to get up.

Research shows that going for a run on your own could be bad for your health. Experiments show that it raises stress levels and stifles the production of new brain cells.

Professor Elizabeth Gould, who led the research, said: "These results suggest that, in the absence of social interaction, a normally beneficial experience can exert a potentially deleterious (detrimental) influence on the brain."

Solo jogging increases stress

Her team of Harvard University psychologists compared the costs and benefits of solo jogging with those for exercise in a group.

In a series of experiments, the researchers monitored two groups of rats given exercise wheels.

The rodents in the first group exercised by themselves. Those in the second group, however, jogged on the wheel in the company of other rats.

After 12 days, the American researchers ran tests to estimate the number of new brain cells in each rat.

They found that those which exercised in company had more than twice as many new brain cells as those who jogged alone.

Other tests showed that the solo joggers also had undergone less neurogenesis - generation of new brain cells - than rats that had done no exercise.

Running with a friend could stimulate brain

Writing in the journal Nature, Professor Gould said her results showed that, contrary to accepted wisdom, jogging is not always good for you.

"When experienced in a group setting, running stimulates neurogenesis," she said.

"However, when running occurs in social isolation, these positive effects are suppressed."

Professor Gould's team also looked at how the animals reacted when placed in a stressful situation, such as being dipped in icy water. They found that the rats which exercised alone handled the pressure less well, producing higher levels of the corticosterone, a stress hormone.

"Our results are evidence that social interactions can buffer the body and brain from stressful experiences," added Professor Gould.

A recent Swedish study also examined the effect of exercise on brainpower. The scientists found that the key to being quick-witted lies in working out little and often. Overdoing it on the treadmill can have the opposite effect.

They concluded that moderate exercise stimulates the brain, boosting memory and learning.

And - like the Harvard researchers - they found that too much exercise slows down the production of new brain cells.