Exercise during teens reaps long-term benefits for women

Playing team sports and exercising during adolescence can have long-lasting benefits for women and may even reduce their risk of dying from cancer and other causes later in life, a new study showed on Friday.

Researchers who analyzed how often women exercised while in their teens found that being active for just 1.3 hours a week had a positive impact as they got older.

"The main finding is that exercise during adolescence is associated with a reduced risk of mortality, or death, in middle aged to older women," Sarah J. Nechuta, an assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt . . .