2023-08-15 22:47:16
Analysis of data from more than one million men revealed a strong association between good cardiorespiratory fitness and a lower risk of developing cancer.
Staying fit when you’re young might reduce your risk of developing a number of cancers by 40%, according to a major long-term study.
The research, which involved analyzing data from more than one million men, revealed the strong association between good cardiorespiratory fitness at a younger age and a lower risk of developing cancer.
People with good cardiorespiratory fitness are able to do aerobic exercise such as running, cycling, and swimming for long periods of time because they have healthy heart and lung capacity.
Although it is known to be associated with a lower risk of certain cancers, few long-term studies of multiple cancer types have been reported – until now.
Publishing the results in the British Journal of Sports Medicine on Tuesday, the researchers found that good cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a lower risk of developing cancers of the head and neck, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, intestine, kidneys and lungs.
They used Swedish registry data on military conscripts who began military service between 1968 and 2005, as conscripts underwent standard physical tests at the start of their service, when they were between the ages of 16 and 25.
The tests included height, weight, blood pressure, muscle strength and cardiorespiratory capacity.
Better cardio fitness, lower cancer risk
The results show that people with low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were slightly more likely to be obese, more likely to have a history of alcohol and substance abuse, and to have parents with a lower level of education. lower than conscripts with a higher fitness level.
The final analysis found that 84,117 of the 1,078,000 men in the study developed cancer in at least one site during an average surveillance period of 33 years.
Compared to men with a low level of physical fitness at the time of conscription, better cardiorespiratory fitness was linearly associated with a lower risk of developing specific types of cancer.
A total of 365,874 conscripts had a low level of cardiorespiratory fitness; 519,652 had a moderate level; and 340,952 had a high level.
Among the findings, higher level of cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a 39% lower risk of esophageal cancer, a 40% lower risk of liver cancer and a 42% lower risk of lung cancer. .
However, the higher fitness level was also linked to a 31% higher risk of skin cancer, which the researchers believe might be due to increased sun exposure.
“This study shows that higher physical fitness in healthy young men is associated with a lower risk of developing nine of 18 site-specific cancers studied, with the most clinically relevant risk rates in the tract. gastrointestinal,” the authors wrote.
“These findings might be used in public health policy-making, further strengthening the incentive to promote interventions aimed at increasing (cardiorespiratory fitness) in young people.”
Although they note that this is only an observational study, no concrete conclusions can be drawn regarding cause and effect, the researchers point out that the results are reflected in the guidelines of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on exercise during cancer treatment.
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