If in general, sport is very good for your health, an international team of researchers conducted a large study to determine which types of physical activity provide greater longevity.
Practicing physical activity on a regular basis is good for your health at different levels, all the more so if this activity is practiced on a sustained basis. However, are there sports that should be favored in terms of longevity? A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine gives us some answers.
An international team of Finnish, British and Australian researchers looked into this question by studying the association between different types of physical activity and mortality in 80,306 British adults over nine years. A first conclusion drawn from this study teaches us that overall, mortality decreases with certain sports in particular such as cycling, swimming, racket sports and aerobic sports such as gymnastics and dance. Some sports such as football or even running, on the other hand, showed no such association.
The results are the same for mortality from a specific cause, namely cardiovascular disease, except for cycling. To achieve these results, the researchers applied a statistical model called Cox regression (proportional risk model) widely used in medicine to assess the links between different parameters.
In figures, the overall risk of premature mortality is reduced by 15% with frequent cycling, 27% for aerobic sports, 28% for swimming and 47% for racket sports. However, the researchers qualify these results and believe that we should » carry out in-depth experimental studies to determine if there is indeed a causal link between the practice of these sports and health benefits“.