TL;DR
Get wellness gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Arizona State University researchers analyzing data from more than 55,000 U.S. adults found that yoga and Pilates practice were associated with lower risk of death over roughly a decade. The observational findings do not show that either activity caused people to live longer, and the researchers say other differences between practitioners and non-practitioners could help explain the results.
Yoga and Pilates practice were associated with lower risk of death in an Arizona State University analysis of more than 55,000 U.S. adults, according to a report by Athletech News. Researchers examined 21 alternative health practices and found that only these two were linked to a significantly lower mortality risk; the observational results do not establish that either practice causes people to live longer.
The researchers used nationally representative data on more than 55,000 U.S. adults and linked it to mortality records covering approximately a decade. In the analysis, yoga practice was associated with a 27% lower risk of death, while Pilates practice was associated with a 36% lower risk. The report does not provide further detail on the study’s publication, the exact follow-up period for each participant or how often participants practiced.
Of the 21 alternative health practices examined, yoga and Pilates were the only ones reported as significantly associated with lower mortality. The finding concerns an association in the data, not a measured effect of starting either activity. It also does not mean that the other practices were shown to be ineffective; the supplied report says they did not show the same significant association in this analysis.
According to Athletech News, the researchers adjusted for factors including income, education, exercise, smoking, body mass index and self-rated health. Study co-author Connor Sheehan, an associate professor at Arizona State University, cautioned that factors not included or not fully captured could still account for some of the observed difference. The report provides no trial evidence testing whether yoga or Pilates changes mortality.
What the Mortality Link Can Tell Us
The results offer evidence about a question of growing interest as people try a wider range of wellness practices: which activities are actually associated with longer-term health outcomes? The analysis compared a broad set of practices against mortality records, rather than relying on short-term measures such as fitness or self-reported wellbeing. Its main reported signal was confined to two movement-based activities.
That finding may help readers distinguish between an observed association and a proven longevity intervention. It is not a basis for promising that yoga or Pilates will extend an individual’s life, nor does it establish how much practice might be needed. Still, the results could inform future research and offer a reason to study these widely used activities alongside less-established wellness approaches.
Sheehan told Athletech News that yoga and Pilates can combine movement with strength, balance, breathing and stress management. He also pointed to the social element of attending classes. Those are possible features of the practices that may be relevant to health, but the analysis described in the report does not identify which, if any, explains the mortality association. The study therefore raises research questions rather than settling them.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Researchers Compared 21 Wellness Practices
The study was prompted by limited long-term evidence about many complementary and alternative health practices, according to the report. Sheehan said more than 40% of U.S. adults use at least one such practice, ranging from acupuncture and chiropractic care to specialized diets. The research team set out to examine whether a selection of these practices was associated with mortality in a large U.S. sample.
The analysis drew on existing survey data rather than assigning participants to begin or avoid an activity. Researchers then connected participants’ records with mortality data over roughly ten years. This design can reveal patterns across a large population, but it cannot by itself rule out differences in health, resources or behavior that may influence both participation and survival.
Sheehan told Athletech News that the team accounted for several measured characteristics, including smoking and self-rated health, while acknowledging possible influences such as healthcare access, genetics and economic circumstances. He also raised the possibility that people who are already very ill may be less able to take part in yoga or Pilates. If so, participants could appear healthier in the data partly because of who can practice, not only because of the practice itself.
“Maybe the sickest people are too unhealthy to do yoga or Pilates to begin with, so the practice looks protective when really it’s just excluding the least healthy.”
— Connor Sheehan, as quoted by Athletech News
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Cause, Practice Levels and Bias
The study does not establish causation. People who practice yoga or Pilates may differ from those who do not in ways that affect mortality, even after the researchers adjusted for several reported factors. The report identifies healthcare access, genetics and economic status as possible influences, and Sheehan raised the possibility that people in poorer health may be less likely to participate.
The supplied account does not specify the participants’ practice frequency or duration, whether the findings varied by age or other demographic groups, or the exact measures used to define yoga and Pilates participation. It also does not provide confidence intervals or other statistical detail behind the reported 27% and 36% figures. Those percentages should be understood as associations reported for this analysis, not as guaranteed reductions in an individual’s risk.
It is also unclear from the report whether the researchers examined changes in practice over time or how they handled people who began or stopped an activity during follow-up. Without those details and evidence from studies designed to test cause and effect, the findings cannot show whether starting yoga or Pilates would alter a person’s lifespan.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Further Research Must Test the Link
The immediate next step is for researchers to test whether the association appears in other populations and study designs, with clearer information on frequency, duration and type of practice. Repeated studies could help determine whether the reported pattern holds across different ages and health conditions and whether it changes when researchers account for additional social and medical factors.
Studies that follow participants’ activity over time could also clarify whether changes in yoga or Pilates practice track with changes in health outcomes. Establishing a causal effect would require stronger evidence than this observational analysis provides. The report does not announce a planned trial or a publication date for further results, so no specific next milestone has been confirmed.
Sheehan told Athletech News that wellness behaviors are evolving quickly and called for more research into practices such as cold plunging, red-light therapy and supplements. For now, the study’s reported takeaway remains limited: yoga and Pilates were associated with lower mortality in this dataset, while whether either practice directly affects lifespan remains unresolved.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Did the study prove yoga or Pilates makes people live longer?
No. The analysis found an association between practicing yoga or Pilates and lower risk of death, but it cannot show that either activity caused the difference.
How large were the reported associations?
Yoga practice was associated with a 27% lower risk of death, and Pilates with a 36% lower risk, as reported by Athletech News. These are study findings, not predictions of an individual’s personal risk.
How many people and practices were included?
The researchers used data from more than 55,000 U.S. adults and examined 21 alternative health practices. The data were linked to mortality records covering about a decade.
What other factors could explain the results?
The researchers adjusted for factors such as income, education, exercise, smoking, body mass index and self-rated health. Sheehan said healthcare access, genetics, economic circumstances and differences in who is healthy enough to participate could also matter.
Were other alternative health practices shown to have no benefit?
No. The report says yoga and Pilates were the only practices among the 21 examined that showed a significant association with lower mortality in this analysis. That does not establish that the other practices have no health benefits; it describes the result of this particular study.
Source: rss
Cold & flu season Picks
humidifiers
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
