Aug. 20 (Wash., DC): According to a large prospective research published in the online edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, young men who are in excellent cardiorespiratory shape had a 40% decreased chance of acquiring 9 different malignancies later in life.
Included in this group are cancers of the head and neck, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, kidneys, and lungs.
One’s cardiorespiratory fitness is measured by how long they can engage in aerobic activity like running, cycling, swimming, or even stair climbing without tiring out. Although few large, long-term studies have been conducted, there is evidence linking it to a reduced risk of certain types of cancer.
Therefore, the team relied on linked Swedish registration data to the end of 2019, which included demographics, medical diagnoses, and death rates for conscripts who enlisted between 1968 and 2005.
Conscripts between the ages of 16 and 25 went through a routine battery of evaluations at the beginning of their service. Measurements were taken of things like body mass index (BMI), height, weight, blood pressure, muscle strength, and aerobic capacity.
Compared to conscripts with a greater fitness level, those with a lower fitness level had a higher prevalence of obesity, a longer history of alcohol and drug abuse, and lower parental education levels.
There were a total of 365,874 recruits with poor cardiorespiratory fitness, 519,652 with average fitness, and 340,952 with excellent fitness.
Over a total of 1,080,000 males were included in the final study, with 84,117 (7%) going on to get cancer at some point over the average 33-year follow-up.
Men who were more physically fit at the time of their birth had a much decreased probability of acquiring many forms of cancer compared to men who were less athletic.
There were 2,337 cases of rectal cancer reduced by 5%, 1,280 cases of pancreatic cancer reduced by 12%, 3,222 cases of bowel cancer reduced by 18%, 2,738 cases of head and neck cancer reduced by 19%, 1,753 cases of stomach cancer reduced by 20%, 1,753 cases of liver cancer reduced by 40%, 1,111 cases of lung cancer reduced by 42%.
On the other hand, males with a greater level of cardiorespiratory fitness had a 7% higher risk of prostate cancer (14, 232 total) and women with a higher level of fitness had a 31% higher risk of skin cancer (23, 064 total). Researchers speculate that the correlation between prostate cancer screening and sun exposure might explain these results.
