Study: Diversifying sports activities prolongs life
A recent study has shown that diversifying the sports a person practices may help to prolong life.
In a study conducted by a research team from several universities and scientific bodies, such as Harvard Medical School , South Korea’s Syonsei University, and China’s Chongqing University, and published in the scientific journal BMJ Medicine, which specializes in medical research, the researchers followed the health status of more than 110,000 adults over a period of thirty years.
The volunteers engaged in a variety of activities ranging from exercise and running to cycling , strength training , yoga, climbing stairs, and more.
During the study period, approximately 39,000 participants died from causes related to heart disease , cancer , and respiratory problems.
What is the Nipah virus?
Nipah virus is a rare but serious viral infection that primarily spreads from infected animals to humans, with the fruit bat being the main natural host. According to the World Health Organization, some infected individuals may be asymptomatic, but the disease is often very severe, with mortality rates ranging from 40% to 75%, depending on the healthcare system’s capacity for early detection, treatment, and medical support.
Although human-to-human transmission is possible, health experts and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control emphasize that this transmission does not occur easily, and outbreaks often remain limited in scope. Currently, there are no approved vaccines, although experimental vaccines are under development and research.
How widespread is the virus?
Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1999. Since then, small outbreaks have been recorded almost annually, especially in Bangladesh, with sporadic cases also reported in India.
According to data from the Alliance for Infectious Disease Preparedness, nearly 750 confirmed cases had been recorded by December, with 415 deaths, reflecting the seriousness of the disease despite its limited spread. Reuters highlighted the virus in a series of reports in 2023 titled “Bat Territory.”
How is the Nipah virus transmitted?
In its early stages in Malaysia, the virus was primarily transmitted through direct contact with infected pigs or their contaminated tissues. Over time, transmission via fruit bats became more common.
The World Health Organization indicates that consuming fruit or date palm products, such as raw date juice, contaminated with the urine or saliva of infected bats is the most likely source of infection. Limited human-to-human transmission has also been observed, primarily among family members or healthcare providers of infected individuals.
The study revealed that exercise , particularly individual sports, reduces the overall risk of death. For example, walking reduces the risk of death by 17 percent and climbing stairs reduces the risk by 10 percent, but the greatest benefit comes from diversifying the forms of exercise a person practices.
It turns out that diversifying the nature of the physical effort a person exerts reduces the risk of death by 19 percent overall, while reducing the likelihood of death from cardiovascular diseases, cancer and respiratory problems by between 13 and 41 percent.
The HealthDay website quoted researchers involved in the study as saying that this research does not prove a causal relationship between exercise and the likelihood of death, but it indicates that diversifying the nature of the effort a person exerts is no less important than exercising in itself.