Playing racket sports three times a week for 45 minutes each session
People who regularly play tennis, badminton, or table tennis have roughly half the risk of dying during the same period compared to non-players. Their risk of cardiovascular death is about 56% lower. For swimmers, the reduction is roughly 28%. No significant difference was observed between runners and football players in these statistics.
The cost of court fees is typically several dozen yuan per…
A UK-based longitudinal study involving 80,300 participants compared individuals who engaged in specific sport…
The cost of court fees is typically several dozen yuan per session. This amounts to roughly 2 hours of activity per week. The main challenge is arranging enough participants and securing a court, plus maintaining a regular weekly schedule.
A UK-based longitudinal study involving 80,300 participants compared individuals who engaged in specific sports with those who did not. Those who played racket sports had a 47% lower risk of death overall (hazard ratio 0.53, 95% CI 0.40–0.69). Their risk of cardiovascular death was reduced by about 56% (hazard ratio 0.44, 95% CI 0.24–0.83). Racket sports include tennis, badminton, and table tennis. For swimmers, these figures were 0.72 and 0.59 respectively; for aerobic exercise they were 0.73 and 0.64, and for cycling 0.85. No statistically significant differences were found between runners and football players.
Oja P, Kelly P, Pedisic Z, et al. (2017). Associations of specific types of sports and exercise with all-cause and cardiovascular-disease mortality: a cohort study of 80 306 British adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(10), 812-817. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096822
Open source linkThis finding is somewhat controversial. Such studies merely track participants over time; people who play sports tend to be healthier and more socially active overall. The lack of difference seen among runners also suggests that individual characteristics may influence which sports people choose. This does not mean running is ineffective — separate entries in this section consider total weekly exercise volume.