Enhancing Physical Fitness, Especially in the Cardiorespiratory System, May Lead to a Potential 40% Decrease in the Risk of Nine Distinct Cancer Types.
The cancers affected comprise: head and neck, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, rectum, esophagus, kidney, and lung.
Physical exercise and activity have been recognized for their role in reducing the overall risk of cancer, yet the correlation between cardiorespiratory fitness and specific cancer types has remained relatively unexplored. A recently published research study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine aims to elucidate the connection between cardiovascular health and protection against certain cancer forms.
Conclusively, the study establishes that heightened levels of cardiovascular fitness confer protection against nine varied cancer forms.
"We observed that greater cardiorespiratory fitness during adolescence correlated with a diminished likelihood of developing nine out of the 18 site-specific cancers examined in our investigation. The impact of fitness on cancer risk seemed particularly pronounced in gastrointestinal cancers," shared Dr. Aron Onerup, MD, PhD, from the Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. Dr. Onerup, also the lead author, discussed these findings with Healthline.
Erika Rees-Punia, PhD, Senior Principal Scientist in the Population Science Department at the American Cancer Society (ACS), endorsed the study's significance. She stated on behalf of ACS that "This expansive study contributes additional evidence supporting the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cancer risk."
"The outcomes of this study align with our current knowledge concerning physical activity, genetics, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cancer," she added.
It's noteworthy that Dr. Rees-Punia was not a participant in the study.
Scientists examined information from a dataset comprising more than one million men
Dr. Onerup and his research team conducted an extensive observational investigation, utilizing a Swedish database to meticulously analyze health and fitness-related information concerning over a million male military conscripts. Subsequently, they monitored occurrences of cancer over the ensuing three decades, with an average observational span of 33 years. This research encompassed individuals who had undergone military conscription between 1968 and 2005. The study excluded men with severe chronic ailments, functional impairments, and those who were incarcerated, ensuring that the study cohort consisted exclusively of healthy young men. The conscripts underwent standard physical evaluations, including assessments of blood pressure, BMI, height, weight, and physical strength.
The Significance of Aerobic Fitness
The conscription procedure also encompassed a "maximal aerobic workload" examination, essentially employing a bicycle-based VO2 max test to ascertain cardiorespiratory fitness. The VO2 max test gauges the extent to which your body can utilize oxygen during peak exertion, standing as a paramount measure of cardiorespiratory fitness. A higher VO2 max signifies greater oxygen consumption capacity within your body, consequently enhancing athletic performance. The utilization of a VO2 max test represents a key strength of this study, as highlighted by Dr. Malene Lindholm, PhD, an instructor of medicine at Stanford University's Cardiovascular Institute within the Department of Medicine, who was not associated with the research. Dr. Lindholm noted to Healthline, "They possess a concrete measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness. Numerous prior studies have primarily relied on self-reported physical activity... and generally, this isn't as dependable as an actual measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness." She alluded to a renowned study published in JAMA in 2016, which involved a participant pool of 1.44 million individuals and established a correlation between heightened physical activity and a reduced risk of 13 cancer types. An inherent limitation of that study was its reliance on self-reported physical activity assessments.
Elevated Fitness Levels Associated with Diminished Cancer Risk
In the novel research, scientists employed individual performance outcomes from the VO2 test to establish benchmarks for categorizing cardiorespiratory fitness into three tiers: low, moderate, and high. The levels of fitness proved to be effective markers of variation in several lifestyle aspects. Enhanced fitness levels correlated with lower instances of obesity, elevated levels of parental education, reduced rates of smoking and substance misuse, and heightened cognitive capabilities. Furthermore, higher cardiorespiratory fitness exhibited consistent and substantial protective effects against site-specific cancers. Within the comprehensive cohort of over a million men, 84,117 individuals (approximately 7%) were diagnosed with one of the 18 monitored cancer types, over an average observational period of 33 years. In comparison to men with the lowest cardiorespiratory fitness level, those possessing the highest fitness levels demonstrated a lowered risk of head and neck, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, rectum, esophagus, kidney, and lung cancers. Elevated fitness levels led to a 5% reduction in rectal cancer risk, followed by a 12% reduction in pancreatic cancer risk. Notably, esophageal cancer (39%), liver cancer (40%), and lung cancer (42%) exhibited the most notable associations with increased fitness levels and lowered cancer risk. Dr. Onerup remarked, "This study underscores that fitness is yet another lifestyle risk factor that holds the potential to influence the likelihood of developing cancers, similar to what has been previously demonstrated for other diseases. Our findings also indicate a linear relationship, implying that each positive enhancement in fitness is linked to a corresponding reduction in risk. Consequently, even minor improvements hold significance."
Skin cancer and prostate cancer stood out as exceptions.
Interestingly, the researchers uncovered a noteworthy observation – two specific cancer types, skin cancer and prostate cancer, exhibited a marginal increase in risk associated with higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness. The study does not definitively explain the reasons behind this phenomenon. In the context of skin cancer, Dr. Onerup postulates that this could be attributed to the likelihood that more physically fit individuals spend extended periods in the sun. Despite these findings, the primary takeaway remains evident: enhancing your fitness levels is likely to diminish the risk of certain cancers. Dr. Rees-Punia underscores the American Cancer Society's trusted guidelines for physical activity as a constructive starting point for boosting your fitness and reducing cancer susceptibility. For adults, the recommended regimen involves 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. Children and adolescents are advised to engage in at least one hour of moderate or vigorous-intensity activity each day. Both adults and youngsters are encouraged to minimize sedentary behaviors such as excessive TV watching and video game playing.
Scientists examined health-related information from a dataset encompassing more than one million men, and the results highlighted a significant correlation between improved cardiovascular and pulmonary well-being and a decreased susceptibility to nine distinct cancer varieties. Men who boasted higher levels of fitness experienced a notable risk reduction, amounting to as much as 40%, for specific types of cancer when compared to their less fit counterparts. The guidelines endorsed by the American Cancer Society advocate a weekly engagement of 150 to 300 minutes in moderate-intensity physical activity for adults.
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