Did you know that playing golf can help you live longer? It’s true. A study conducted by the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports showed that people that play golf enjoy an increase in life expectancy.
According to the study, the death rate for golfers is 40 percent lower than for non-golfers of the same sex and age and socio-economic status. The study which is led by Anders Ahlbom and Bahm Farahmand at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden says that the increase life expectancy could equate to five years of extra life. But there is a catch. The study examined golfers that walked while they played. The study did not include a study of golfers that ride in cart while they play. So to enjoy the benefits that playing golf can offer, according to study, you must walk while you play, not ride in a golf cart. Golf is essentially a pedestrian game.
“A round of golf means being outside for four or five hours, walking at a fast pace for about four miles,” said Ahlbom in study.
The study was based on data from 300,000 Swedish golfers. Other factors, such as a generally healthy lifestyle, may help explain the lower death rate seen among golfers, the scientists said. It is still likely that playing the game has a significant impact in itself on health. “People play golf into old age, and there are also positive social and psychological aspects to the game that can help,” said Ahlbom.
So even if you don’t walk while you play, playing golf could extend your life.
