Which sports are best for health and long life?

Millions of people around the world, including almost 60% Americans, Australians AND Europeansparticipate in sports. Review 2015 it was found that the available data on the long-term health benefits of practicing specific sports are narrow, but new study provides robust evidence that practicing several popular sports is associated with a significantly lower risk of death.

It is estimated that insufficient physical activity causes more than 5 million premature deaths year. To reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and a number of other chronic diseases, The World Health Organization recommends Adults and older people engage in physical activity for at least 150 minutes a week.

These estimates and guidelines are based primarily on research examining the outcomes of participating in any moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. But does it matter what physical activity we do?

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in research on how specific domains (such as work, transport, home and leisure time) and types of physical activity (walking, cycling) affect health.

For example, walking and cycling physical activity has been shown to be associated with a similar reduction in the risk of death areas of leisure and everyday life seem to have greater benefits than work-related and transport-related physical activity. This shows that in terms of health, it doesn’t necessarily matter what physical activity you do.

Which sports are good for your health?

Adults participating in sports and exercise at a high level are generally 34% lower risk of death than those who never or rarely engage in such activities. However, this overall evidence does not mean that all sports have the same health effects.

Mentioned earlier Review 2015 summarized the available evidence on the health benefits of participating in 26 sports. It found conditional or moderate evidence that both running and soccer improve heart function, aerobic capacity, metabolism, balance, and weight. Soccer also showed beneficial effects on muscle performance. The evidence for other sports was thin or inconsistent.

To strengthen the evidence for the health benefits of six popular sports – aerobics, cycling, football, racket sports, running and swimming – recently analyzed data from 80,306 British adults. The study found a 27%, 15%, 47% and 28% lower risk of death for participants in aerobics, cycling, racket sports and swimming.

Although we observed a reduction in the risk of death associated with soccer and running (18% and 13%, respectively) in our study sample, the data did not allow us to draw conclusions about these effects in the overall population. These statistically “nonsignificant” associations should not be misinterpreted as “no association” or “evidence of no effect.” We simply do not know whether the observed effects in the sample occurred purely by chance or whether they reflect true effects in the population.

Previous studies conducted among Americans, Chinese men AND The Danes A significantly reduced risk (27%-40%) of death was found with running. Review 2015 A number of health benefits associated with football have been identified.

Should I play sports at all?

Annual Injury Rate among all amateur and professional athletes is about 6%, but the incidence, types and severity of injuries vary significantly depending on the sportFortunately, experts advise that up to 50% sports injuries can be preventedThe risk can be minimised by following detailed preventive guidelines from Sports Medicine Australia. Injury Fact Sheets.

More than 50 years ago, Winston Churchill was asked to reveal the secret of longevity. “Sports,” he said. “I have never, ever been involved in sports.”

So should we follow Sir Winston’s example or act on the latest research showing the health benefits of exercise? Although there is a possibility sports injury or other negative health effects related to sports (such as sudden death during exercise) one can never rule out the potential benefits of sports far outweigh the risks.

Which sport to choose?

It could be decades before we reach definitive conclusions about the health effects of all types of sports. In the meantime, should you sit in front of the TV and wait for scientists to announce the final results? No. Follow your own preferences and choose an inexpensive and accessible sport that you enjoy doing while trying to minimize your risk of injury.

This will boost the likelihood that you will stay motivated and engaged in an activity long enough to reap significant health benefits.