Teenage workouts may lower death risk in later life

The study also stated that women who exercised in their teens had a 16% lower death risk from cancer and a 15% less risk of death from all causes. They were interviewed on various factors affecting their lifestyle and the extent of physical activities or exercises they did during their teen years.

The US study by the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Centre and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Centre in Nashville used data from the Shanghai Women’s Health Study involving about 75,000 women ages 40 to 70. However, regardless of adult exercise, those women who exercised earlier in life displayed a “reduced risk of cancer and all-cause mortality”. The study also found that women who exercised both as teens and as adults were at a 20 percent decrease in risk of dying than those who didn’t at all.

Teen girls who exercised for a little more than an hour each week had a 16 percent lower risk of cancer death, and a 15 percent lower risk from all causes. Researchers asked whether or not these women had exercised between 13 and 19 years old, and how much if they had.

Sarah Nechuta, lead researcher of the study, said: ‘It is important to note that adult factors, such as adult exercise, body mass index (BMI) and chronic diseases are potentially influenced by adolescent exercise, and adjusting for adult factors in these types of studies may not always be the best approach, as overadjustment could be a concern.’. Exercising more didn’t further lower risks.

“This is the first large prospective study among Asian women to look at adolescent exercise and mortality”, Nechuta said. The researchers particularly found that playing team sports may help boost women’s health in the long-term.

No conflicts of interest were disclosed.

After nearly 13 years, there were about 5,300 deaths.

The findings of the study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, show that staying active for about 1.3 hours per week can result in positive effects to health as they grow older. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and other policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.