Fitness In Middle Age Helps Prevent Certain Cancers In Men, Study Says

Staying physically fit is half the battle when it comes to the prevention of certain illnesses, one of those being cancer.

New findings published in JAMA Oncology found that certain middle-aged men are actually at a lower risk of developing lung and colorectal cancer is they are eating well and exercising into old age. Furthermore, if diagnosed with cancer later in life, it could even help to promote survival. However, researchers did note that it did not protect men from developing prostate cancer.

Though previous research examined how cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) influenced cardiovascular disease (CVD), not much research had been conducted on how CRF was linked to cancer, alone. 

For the study, researchers looked at 13,949 men who had a baseline fitness exam determine CRF through a treadmill test. Fitness levels were measured between the years of 1971 and 2009, and cases of lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer among the participants were determined from Medicare data from 1999 to 2009. During a 6.5 year follow-up, 1,310 of the participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 200 with lung cancer and 181 men were diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Men with higher CRF rates during the midlife stages also had a 55 percent reduced risk of lung cancer and a 44 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer than those with a low CRF level. Unfortunately, this was not the case for those dealing with prostate cancer.

The findings also showed high CRF rates associated with a 32 percent lower risk of cancer death among those who later developed colorectal, lung and/or prostate cancer near the age of 65.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that CRF is predictive of site-specific cancer incidence, as well as risk of death from cancer or CVD following a cancer diagnosis. These findings provide further support for the effectiveness of CRF assessment in preventive health care settings," the study concluded. 

However, future studies will be needed to determine how CRF levels are necessary in preventing site-specific cancer and just what the long-term effects of cancer and mortality are in women. 

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