Tennis: The sport of a lifetime
The United States Tennis Association has promoted tennis as a true “Sport for a Lifetime.”
A new study has apparently confirmed the slogan.
A recent report based on a 50 year old study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed which sports were associated with the lowest risk of dying from heart disease.
Tennis was the “winner.”
The good news was published in an article written by Dr. Thomas H. Lee of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. It originally appeared online at intelihealth.com.
Dr. Lee writes, “A very specific suggestion was provided by a recent report of a study from John Hopkins University begun in 1946. At that time, researchers began collecting detailed information on the medical history and health habits of Hopkins medical-school students, and then followed them with surveys every year thereafter. The newest study of the data collected looked at which sports were being played by 1,019 male medical students when they were at a median age of 22, and which ones they were playing when they were middle-aged. Then, the researchers analyzed which sports were associated with the lowest risk of dying from heart disease during an average follow-up period of 40 years."
Overall, the study showed that men who started to play tennis in their youth and are skilled
(compared to those that are skilled in golf, football, baseball or basketball) are likely to continue playing the sport for years, thereby keeping heart disease at bay well into middle-age.
Tennis had the highest participation in mid-life out of the over 1,000 men surveyed, and those playing tennis had a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and heart attack compared to those who don't play tennis.
Men who played tennis well had only a 12 percent risk of heart disease, and the men who played tennis poorly had a 15 percent rate. But the men who didn't play tennis at all had a 28 percent rate of heart disease.
In an article from the July 22, 2002, edition of the Los Angeles Times, Score One for Tennis: It's Good for the Heart, Diane Partie Lange reported that the Hopkins' study, also published in the American Journal of Medicine, confirms something that health researchers have long suspected: that young people who take up sports such as tennis or swimming, which can be enjoyed throughout one's life, are more likely to stay involved in those activities as they age.
Researchers found a link between tennis and later health benefits.
“Much of this protective effect was seen because tennis players continued to play the sport well into middle age,” says Dr. Michael J. Klag, a professor of internal medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
More than other popular sports, Lange offers the conclusion that tennis seems to deliver a double advantage: a good aerobic workout that is likely to be sustained in middle age.
Senior Olympics
Pittsburgh has been selected from 19 communities to play host to the 2005 Summer National Senior Games — The Senior Olympics, one of the largest recurring multi-sport events in the country. Approximately 12,000 top male and female senior athletes, age 50 and older, from across the United States will compete in 18 different sports, including tennis, within separate age divisions. The event is set to run from June 3-18.
The tennis competition will be held at Schenley Park and North Park. Five hundred to 700 competitors are expected to enter age division events in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Competitors qualify for the events at state level competitions.
Last Minute Gifts
Stop by your local tennis specialty or retail store and you'll find some great stocking stuffers. Grips, strings, hats, vibration dampeners, tennis balls, socks, water bottles, wristbands and other tennis related items make thoughtful gifts for the tennis player in your life.
