Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38658416›Full record

SynthesisSports medicine - open2024

Health Benefits of Different Sports: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal and Intervention Studies Including 2.6 Million Adult Participants.

Pekka Oja, Aamir Raoof Memon, Sylvia Titze, Danijel Jurakic, Si-Tong Chen, Nipun Shrestha, Sowannry Em, Tena Matolic, Tommi Vasankari, Ari Heinonen and 7 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sports medicine - open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Guideline
  2. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026
    Article
  3. Exercise-induced lysosomal adaptations in skeletal muscle.Sports medicine and health science · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. What pool closures in Canada mean for health.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026
    Article
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  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
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  18. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Pekka OjaUKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland.
Aamir Raoof MemonInstitute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3203-418X
Sylvia TitzeInstitute of Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6125-7182
Danijel JurakicFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4861-4066
Si-Tong ChenInstitute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8975-7565
Nipun ShresthaNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3542-8130
Sowannry EmInstitute of Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Tena MatolicFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Tommi VasankariUKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7209-9351
Ari HeinonenFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3681-9953
Jozo GrgicInstitute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6929-2844
Pasi KoskiDepartment of Teacher Education, University of Turku, Rauma, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5352-3698
Sami KokkoFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9436-5681
Paul KellyInstitute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Charlie FosterBristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5041-0601
Hrvoje PodnarFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1719-6970
Zeljko PedisicInstitute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. zeljko.pedisic@vu.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2886-3556

Funding

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency 613434-EPP-1-2019-1-HR-SPO-SCP
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSeveral reviews have examined the health benefits of participation in specific sports, such as baseball, cricket, cross-country skiing, cycling, downhill skiing, football, golf, judo, rugby, running and swimming. However, new primary studies on the topic have recently been published, and the respective meta-analytic evidence needs to be updated.

objectivesTo systematically review, summarise and appraise evidence on physical health benefits of participation in different recreational sports.

methodsSearches for journal articles were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SpoLit, SPORTDiscus, Sports Medicine & Education Index and Web of Science. We included longitudinal and intervention studies investigating physical health outcomes associated with participation in a given sport among generally healthy adults without disability.

resultsA total of 136 papers from 76 studies conducted among 2.6 million participants were included in the review. Our meta-analyses of available evidence found that: (1) cycling reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 16% (pooled hazard ratio [HR] = 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80, 0.89), all-cause mortality by 21% (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.73, 0.84), cancer mortality by 10% (HR = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.96) and cardiovascular mortality by 20% (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.86); (2) football has favourable effects on body composition, blood lipids, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, cardiovascular function at rest, cardiorespiratory fitness and bone strength (p < 0.050); (3) handball has favourable effects on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.050); (4) running reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 23% (HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.85), cancer mortality by 20% (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.89) and cardiovascular mortality by 27% (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.94) and improves body composition, cardiovascular function at rest and cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.010); and (5) swimming reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 24% (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.92) and improves body composition and blood lipids (p < 0.010).

conclusionsA range of physical health benefits are associated with participation in recreational cycling, football, handball, running and swimming. More studies are needed to enable meta-analyses of health benefits of participation in other sports. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021234839.

Indexed as

Body weightExerciseLongevityPhysical activityVO2max

Identifiers

PMID38658416
PMCPMC11043276

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.