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An Arizona State University study of nationally representative data on more than 55,000 U.S. adults found yoga and Pilates were associated with lower mortality risk among 21 alternative health practices examined. The results do not establish that either practice extends life, and the researchers say other health and social factors may help explain the association.
An analysis by Arizona State University researchers found that adults who reported practicing yoga or Pilates had a lower risk of death than those who did not, in data covering more than 55,000 U.S. adults. The study examined 21 alternative health practices, but the researchers stressed that the findings show an association, not proof that either activity causes people to live longer.
The research team used nationally representative survey data and linked participants to mortality records over about a decade. Of the 21 practices examined, the report says only yoga and Pilates were associated with a significantly lower risk of death. The researchers estimated a 27% lower risk for yoga and a 36% lower risk for Pilates among people reporting those practices. These are relative risk estimates from the study, not a guarantee of added years of life for an individual.
According to the report, researchers accounted for several factors that could influence the results, including income, education, exercise, smoking, body mass index and self-rated health. Statistical adjustment can reduce the influence of measured differences, but it cannot rule out all other explanations. The source material does not provide further details here about the frequency, duration or intensity of participants’ yoga and Pilates practice, or the precise statistical methods used.
Study co-author Connor Sheehan, an associate professor at Arizona State University, said the strongest longevity association among the practices examined involved activities rooted in movement. He also cautioned that people who are already very ill may be less able to take part in yoga or Pilates, which could make participants appear healthier even if the practices themselves are not responsible for the difference. The findings are therefore not evidence that the practices prevent death or treat disease.
Movement Practices Lead the Findings
The result offers a useful distinction for people weighing a crowded market of wellness products and services: in this analysis, the mortality associations singled out were for yoga and Pilates, rather than the other alternative practices the researchers assessed. It adds population-level evidence to a subject where, according to Sheehan, long-term data on many popular health behaviors remain limited.
That does not make the study a basis for promising longevity or recommending a particular routine to everyone. The analysis is observational, so participants chose their own activities rather than being assigned to them. Differences in overall health, resources, social connection or other habits could account for some or all of the association. For readers, the key implication is that the findings are a reason for further research, not proof of a life-extending effect.
Sheehan suggested that yoga and Pilates may combine physical activity, strength and balance work, breath practice and stress management. He also pointed to the social component of attending classes. Those are proposed explanations for the observed association; this report does not establish which, if any, accounts for the mortality results.
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How Researchers Compared 21 Practices
The study arose amid wider public interest in practices marketed for health, well-being and longevity. The report says more than 40% of U.S. adults use at least one complementary or alternative health practice, citing Sheehan. Examples mentioned include acupuncture, chiropractic care and specialized diets, alongside newer wellness trends. The researchers set out to examine whether use of such practices was associated with mortality, rather than testing whether any one practice could extend life.
The analysis drew on a large U.S. adult sample linked to death records, allowing researchers to compare reported practices with outcomes over roughly ten years. That scale and follow-up period make the work relevant to questions that cannot be answered by short-term testimonials. However, survey-based observational research has limits: reported behavior may not capture a person’s full routine, and an association in a population does not necessarily predict an individual’s outcome.
The report also places the findings alongside a fast-growing commercial wellness sector and notes that the yoga and Pilates market is projected to reach $521 billion by 2035. That is a market forecast, not a finding of the mortality study. Sheehan argued that the popularity and rapid evolution of wellness practices make stronger research useful, including research into behaviors such as cold plunging, red-light therapy and supplement use.
“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.”
— Connor Sheehan
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Why the Mortality Gap Appeared
The study does not establish cause and effect. It remains unclear whether yoga or Pilates contributed to the lower mortality risk, whether people who practice them differ in ways the analysis did not capture, or whether both explanations play a role. The researchers adjusted for several measured characteristics, but Sheehan cited possible influences such as health-care access, genetics and economic circumstances, as well as people’s broader tendency to take care of their health.
The source material does not specify the number of deaths in each practice group, the absolute risk differences, confidence intervals, or how often and how long participants practiced. Without those details, readers cannot use the relative estimates to calculate an individual’s expected benefit. The reported 27% and 36% figures should be understood as study associations, not as a promised reduction in personal risk or a prediction of extra lifespan.
It is also not clear from the report whether the results apply equally across age groups, health conditions or different styles and levels of yoga and Pilates. The findings cover the practices as recorded in the underlying data; they do not show that every format, class or home routine has the same relationship with mortality.
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Further Study of Wellness Habits
The findings point to a need for additional research that can test whether the association holds across different populations and clarify how participants practiced yoga and Pilates. Studies with more detailed records of practice frequency, intensity and duration, alongside health and social factors, could help explain which differences matter. Research designs that better address selection effects would also help distinguish a direct effect from the possibility that healthier people are more likely to participate.
Sheehan said researchers should study the health behaviors people are adopting as wellness trends change, including practices that were not the focus of this analysis. The report does not announce a follow-up study or provide a timetable for new results. Until further evidence is available, the present finding remains an observational signal: yoga and Pilates were associated with lower mortality risk in this dataset, but a causal longevity benefit has not been demonstrated.
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Key Questions
Did the study prove yoga or Pilates makes people live longer?
No. It found an association with lower risk of death in observational data. The study cannot establish that either practice caused the difference.
What mortality differences did the researchers report?
The report said yoga was associated with a 27% lower risk of death and Pilates with a 36% lower risk. These are relative estimates from the analysis, not a promise of longer life for participants.
How many health practices were examined?
The Arizona State University researchers examined 21 alternative health practices. The report says yoga and Pilates were the only two associated with a significantly lower risk of death.
What could explain the results besides the practices themselves?
Other differences may have influenced the association, including health-care access, genetics, economic circumstances and participants’ overall health habits. The researchers also raised the possibility that people too ill to practice would be less likely to appear in the yoga or Pilates groups.
Should people start yoga or Pilates to prevent death?
This study does not show that either activity prevents death. Readers considering a new exercise routine should choose an approach appropriate to their abilities and health; people with existing medical conditions can seek guidance from a qualified health professional.
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