The study researchers followed participants for a dozen or so years and analyzed health records for deaths from cancer, heart disease and any cause.
Any combination of aerobic-based activity done for the recommended amount of time per week was associated with a 13% lower risk of death from any cause when compared with doing none of the activities, the researchers found.
Playing racket sports had the highest return for cardiovascular issues: There was a 27% reduction in risk for death from heart disease and a 16% reduction in early death. The largest reduction in cancer risk (19%) was associated with running, while running reduced risk of an early death by 15%, the study said.
All the activities studied were associated with some lower risks of death, the study found.
“Participation in any of the activities was associated with lower mortality in comparison with those who did not participate in each activity, including moderate-intensity activities,” wrote study author Eleanor Watts, a postdoctoral fellow in epidemiology at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The study could only show an association, not a full cause and effect.