According to a new study from Denmark, exercising regularly throughout life reduces your risk of abusing alcohol or developing any alcohol related diseases. This information comes from a 20 years worth of surveys mailed to 18,000 residents of Copenhagen between the years of 1976 and 2003. Questions on the survey included alcohol use, smoking, and physical activity.

Researchers then split the residents into three groups based on level of activity: high levels, low levels and sedentary. They then compared the results of these surveys to the national patient registries of those in treatment centers.

They found that four percent of the group had been diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder at some point over the 20 years. They also found that the people who kept a lower activity level had a higher risk for developing a disorder, and those who were sedentary were at a much higher risk.

Although the researchers are not saying that exercising will completely eliminate the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder, they definitely see a link. Exercise is already beneficial to your health, this just makes it even better.