Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN)– Want to live a longer, healthier life? Choose a physical activity that you enjoy, and start doing it right away.
There are many sports to choose from, such as running, swimming, playing tennis, cycling, playing golf, or even walking.
And a new study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open shows that all of these activities reduce the risk of early death, as well as death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The study by the National Cancer Institute analyzed the responses of more than 272,000 people, aged 59 to 82, who completed questionnaires about their leisure activities.
In the study, researchers followed all participants for about 12 years and analyzed health records for deaths from cancer, heart disease, and others.
The US Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that American adults do 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of intense aerobic physical activity each week.
The researchers found that any combination of aerobic activity done within the recommended amount of time per week was associated with a 13% lower risk of death from any cause, compared with no activity.
Racquet sports had the highest return for cardiovascular problems.
In fact, there was a 27% lower risk of dying from heart disease, and a 16% lower risk of premature death.
The study showed that the largest reduction in cancer risk (19%) was associated with running, which also reduced the risk of early death by 15%.
The study found that walking was the most beneficial for reducing the risk of early death after racquet sports and running.
All of the activities studied were associated with a lower risk of death.
“Participation in any of the activities was associated with lower mortality compared with those who did not participate in every activity, including moderate-intensity activities,” wrote study author Eleanor Watts, a postdoctoral fellow in epidemiology at the National Cancer Institute.
The study can only show an association, not cause and effect.