Yoga, Pilates Linked to Longer Lifespans in New Study

Of 21 alternative health practices examined by Arizona State University researchers, only yoga and Pilates were associated with a significantly lower risk of death

The ballooning fitness and wellness industry has naturally given consumers what seems like endless choices for looking after their health, from more mainstream healthcare approaches to homeopathic and alternative medicine options.

Now, people are increasingly experimenting and implementing new practices and protocols in hopes of improving their healthspan and longevity, yet the long-term evidence of those approaches is still limited.

That’s what provoked researchers at Arizona State University to examine 21 alternative health practices and how they relate to mortality. Of all the practices examined, only two were linked with a meaningfully lower risk of death: yoga and Pilates.

“Of all the alternative health practices out there, the two with the strongest longevity signal are ones rooted in physical movement, not the more exotic-sounding therapies,” said study co-author and ASU associate professor Connor Sheehan.

“Americans are spending billions on complementary and alternative medicine,” he said. “More than 40% of adults use at least one practice, from acupuncture to chiropractic care to specialized diets. But we actually know very little about whether any of these practices are associated with living longer.”

To do so, the researchers pulled from nationally representative data of more than 55,000 U.S. adults, linked to mortality records over about a decade. They found that yoga was linked to a 27% lower risk of death, with Pilates a 36% lower risk.

It’s important to note that despite the association between yoga and Pilates and longer lifespans researchers found, that doesn’t necessarily indicate causation. Sheehan noted that while they did control for factors including income, education, exercise, smoking, BMI and self-rated health, there are numerous other ones that could have influenced results including access to better healthcare, genetics, economic status and people more likely to take better care of themselves compared to those who don’t practice yoga and Pilates.

“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,” Sheehan said.

That being said, he noted that yoga and Pilates offer numerous benefits, beyond the physical perks that come with exercise.

“I think yoga and Pilates also have something extra going for them: They build strength and balance, improve cardiovascular fitness and emphasize breath work and stress reduction, which have documented effects on inflammation and heart function,” Sheehan said.

Practitioners get even more wellness benefits when they take a class as well, adding in a social component, as research has increasingly indicated the vital longevity benefits of community.

“You’re potentially getting physical activity, stress management and community all wrapped into one practice,” he added. “That’s a pretty good combination for living longer.”

The evidence could provide yet another boost to the already booming Pilates and yoga market, which is expected to reach $521 billion in market value by 2035.

As longevity and wellness practices writ large become more mainstream, Sheehan sees a need to also invest in research to build a robust scientific understanding of how longevity and wellness are evolving.

“We’re all really living in our own little wellness bubbles, fully convinced that whatever we’re doing is the key to longevity. Selfishly, I’ve been getting into the sauna, cold plunges and red light therapy lately, and I am curious if these actually work,” he said.

“The health behaviors Americans are doing to improve their well-being are really interesting, rapidly evolving and, I think, understudied,” Sheehan continued. “Think about everything that’s exploded since then: peptides, red light therapy, specific supplements, cold plunging. We should be studying all of it.”