Want to live longer? Play group sports!

While you can do whatever form of fitness exercise that you like, a new study has found that those who do team sports have an advantage over solitary exercisers.

Sudhakar Jha | Published: September 7, 2018 5:06 pm

Researchers found that team sports like tennis, badminton and soccer are better for longevity of your life than solo sports such as cycling, swimming, jogging or gym exercise © Shutterstock

Research team headed by a cardiologist has found that the interaction involved with the partner in a team sport may add to a lot of health benefits of a physical activity, which can add more years to your life than the ones who like to exercise alone.

The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that team sports like tennis, badminton and soccer are better for longevity of your life than solo sports such as cycling, swimming, jogging or gym exercise.

Study co-author, Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute said in the study, “For both mental and physical well-being and longevity, we’re understanding that our social connections are probably the single-most important feature of living a long, healthy, happy life. If you’re interested in exercising for health and longevity and well-being, perhaps the most important feature of your exercise regimen is that it should involve a playdate.”

The study took data from about 8,500 adults of Copenhagen City Heart Study. The subjects were given a comprehensive health and lifestyle questionnaire, which included questions about type and frequency of physical activity and were monitored for around 25 years.

The team examined the answers to find a link with longevity. And at the end, found that there was a clear correlation between social sports and longevity. Compared to inactive group of people, those who were playing tennis added around 9.7 years to their lifespan, followed by badminton (6.2 years), soccer (4.7 years), cycling (3.7 years), swimming (3.4 years), jogging (3.2 years), calisthenics (3.1 years) and health club activities (1.5 years).

Though there was vast gap between the time spent on those activities, the duration didn’t affect the longevity benefits. Those who played tennis as their primary sport were doing 520 minutes of physical activity per week. On the other hand, gym exercises finished at the bottom in terms of longevity, despite the fact that gym goers reported the most weekly activity overall.

Published: September 7, 2018 5:06 pm

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