Being Fit in Youth May Lower Your Risk of 9 Cancers as You Get Older

Being Fit in Youth May Lower Your Risk of 9 Cancers as You Get Older

The Lifelong Benefits of Good Fitness: Lowering Cancer Risk

Having good fitness while young can really pay off when it comes to cancer risk later in life. New research found that cardiorespiratory fitness – the ability to do aerobic exercise – was associated with up to 42% lower risk of nine cancers, including head and neck, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, kidney, and lung.

The Study and its Methodology

Researchers used Swedish registry data up to the end of 2019, covering background information, medical diagnoses, and deaths for male conscripts who started their military service between 1968 and 2005. These conscripts were aged 16 to 25 when they started their service, and a battery of assessments, including height, weight (body mass index), blood pressure, muscular strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness, were conducted at that time.

The study included more than 1 million men, about 7% of whom later developed cancer in at least one site during an average monitoring period of 33 years. Those with higher cardiorespiratory fitness had a lower risk of developing specific types of cancer.

The Benefits of Good Fitness

The benefits from having higher cardiorespiratory fitness included a 5% lower risk of rectal cancer, a 12% lower risk of pancreatic cancer, 18% lower risk of colon cancer, 19% lower risk of head and neck cancer, 20% lower risk of kidney cancer, 21% lower risk of stomach cancer, 39% lower risk of esophageal cancer, 40% lower risk of liver cancer, and a 42% lower risk of lung cancer.

However, better cardiorespiratory fitness didn’t improve all cancer risks. It was associated with a 7% heightened risk of prostate cancer and a 31% heightened risk of skin cancer. Prostate cancer screening and exposure to sunlight (possibly while exercising) might account for these findings, according to the authors.

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The Importance of Lifelong Fitness

These findings highlight the importance of maintaining good fitness throughout life, as it can significantly reduce the risk of various types of cancer. The authors of the study stated that higher fitness in healthy young men is associated with a lower hazard of developing nine out of 18 site-specific cancers, with the most clinically relevant hazard rates in the gastrointestinal tract.

Public Health Implications

The results of this study could have significant implications for public health policies and interventions aimed at promoting cardiorespiratory fitness in youth. The authors suggest that these findings could be used in public health policymaking to further strengthen the incentive for interventions targeted at increasing cardiorespiratory fitness in young individuals.

While this study provides valuable insights, it is important to note that it is still observational and cannot prove cause-and-effect. Other lifestyle factors may also play a role in cancer risk, and the study did not track changes in cardiorespiratory fitness over time or gather participant genetic information.

Conclusion

In conclusion, maintaining good fitness and cardiorespiratory health while young can have lifelong benefits when it comes to lowering the risk of developing various types of cancer. This research underscores the importance of regular exercise and physical activity in preventing cancer and highlights the potential impact of public health interventions in promoting fitness among young individuals.

More information:

For more information on prevention and early detection of cancer, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: BMJ, news release, Aug. 15, 2023