Researchers from Sweden’s School of Sport and Health Sciences found that men with higher fitness levels have a reduced risk of colon cancer and lower mortality from prostate and lung cancers. The results were published in JAMA Network Open.
Earlier work has shown that regular exercise lowers cancer risk in general. Yet it remained unclear whether strong cardiorespiratory endurance, the capacity of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to supply oxygen during sustained activity, also plays a protective role.
In the new study, investigators examined data from 177,709 Swedish men aged 18 to 75, collected between 1982 and 2019. Cardiorespiratory endurance was evaluated with a stationary bike test. Participants were followed for an average of 9.6 years to monitor cancer incidence and death rates.
After accounting for other cancer risk factors such as lifestyle choices, the analysis showed that moderate to high endurance levels were linked with a notably lower risk of colon cancer.
Furthermore, across all endurance categories, reduced risk of death from prostate cancer was observed. Among older men, higher endurance was also associated with a lower risk of lung cancer mortality.
The researchers also estimated that among men with very low cardiorespiratory endurance, 4% to 8% of all colon cancers, 4% of all lung cancer deaths, and 4% to 19% of prostate cancer deaths could be prevented if endurance were improved.
The authors proposed that higher endurance may lessen systemic inflammation tied to cancer development and help preserve insulin sensitivity, which can influence cancer risk and progression.
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