"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Large studies show that racquet sports offer the most effective protection against cardiovascular death.

The research we're .

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A team of European and Australian researchers checked out large British and Scottish health studies to search out out whether some types of activity have more advantages than others. They examined the associations of six several types of exercise with the best risk of death and death from heart disease in 80,306 people, 54 percent of whom were women. Participants aged 30 to 98 were followed for a median of nine years. During that period, 8,790 died, 1,909 from heart causes.

The researchers determined that racquet sports were related to the bottom (47%) reduction in risk of death from any cause, followed by swimming (28%), aerobics (27%), and cycling (15 %). Two other activities considered—running and soccer—weren't related to a big reduction in risk. They found a big reduction in cardiovascular death for racquet sports (56%), swimming (41%), and aerobics (36%), but not for cycling, running, or soccer. (Racquet sports, swimming, and aerobics all engage each the upper and lower body in vigorous exercise, which makes the center work harder.) The data showed that whatever activity participants selected, The more they exercise, the lower their risk of death. .

The study was published online on November 28, 2016. British Journal of Sports Medicinedidn't have a look at walking, which has been shown to scale back the chance of heart disease and other chronic conditions. However, it does indicate that racquet sports, that are less studied, can also have significant advantages. Maybe it's time to select up the racket and go to court.