From Bloomberg
Geneva, June 02, 2008

The death rate for golfers was 40 percent lower than other people of the same sex, age and socioeconomic status, a study published in the Scandanivian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports has found.

This equated to a five-year increase in life expectancy, said scientists led by Anders Ahlbom and Bahman Farahmand at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Golfers with low handicap - a measure of a player's ability - were the best protected, they said.

Exercise was known to promote health even though the exact benefits of particular activities were still largely unknown, the researchers said.

Golf is played by about 60 million people worldwide, according to the European Institute of Golf Course Architects.

"A round of golf means being outside for four or five hours, walking at a fast pace for 6km to 7km (3.72miles to 4.35miles), something which is known to be good for health," Ahlbom said.

"People play golf into old age, and there are also positive social and psychological aspects to the game," he added.

The study was based on data from 300 000 Swedish golfers.

Other factors, such as a generally healthy lifestyle, might help explain the lower death rate amongst golfers, said the scientist. It was still likely that playing the game had a significant impact in itself on health, said Ahlbom and Farahmand.

Ahlbom said: "Maintaining a low handicap involves playing a lot, so this supports the idea that it is largely the game itself that is good for health."

The effect on the death rate was found to be greater for those from blue-collar professions than for those hailing from white-collar professions, the researchers said.

There was limited research on the effects of other types of sports had on life expectancy, Ahlbom said.

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