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According to research published this week, men can reduce their risk of acquiring nine different types of cancer in later life by maintaining high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness throughout their young adult years.
Researchers examined the cancer rates in a cohort of more than a million males in Sweden over an average duration of 33 years, starting at age 18, in a study that was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. They divided the participants into low, moderate, and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and compared the cancer rates among men in these groups in later life using the results of fitness tests that were used to determine the men's suitability for military service—assessments that were formerly required in Sweden.
In comparison to males in the low-fitness category, the researchers discovered that men who demonstrated the highest levels of fitness as young adults had a 20% lower chance of kidney cancer and a 19% lower risk of head and neck cancer.
High cardiorespiratory fitness may also significantly lower the risk of gastrointestinal malignancies, according to the study. High-fitness participants had a roughly 40% lower chance of developing cancers of the liver, bile ducts, esophagus, and gallbladder, as well as a 20% lower risk of developing stomach and colon cancer.
The study also found that males in the high-fitness cohort had an increased risk of being diagnosed with two types of cancer in comparison to men in the low-fitness group. Prostate and skin cancer diagnoses were marginally more common in the high-fitness group. The difference was explained by the fact that men who are physically active are more likely to spend more time in the sun and get screened for prostate cancer.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that indicates that men with better cardiorespiratory fitness have lower cancer risk. In a different study, males with good cardiorespiratory fitness had decreased incidences of colon and lung cancer, according to data released in June by the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences. But in contrast to the study released this week, that study found a correlation between being physically fit and a lower risk of prostate cancer.
Although the two studies above focused on the cancer risks for males alone, other studies have found that early-life cardiorespiratory fitness can also lower cancer risks for women."