One of the most exciting questions in cancer research in recent years is whether regular exercise habits can prevent certain cancers from taking hold.
As with other questions about cancer, the answer is complicated. However, a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine provides a glimpse into how regular physical activity can affect prostate cancer risk. Prostate cancer was the second most common and deadliest cancer for men in the United States.
In one of the largest efforts to date, researchers collected data from 57,652 Swedish men who took part in at least two fitness tests between 1982 and 2019 to find out how to become more active. We looked at whether people are less likely to develop cancer. About 1% were later diagnosed with prostate cancer. The research team found that people who improved their fitness over the years were 35% less likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
This finding is consistent with much of the latest research on the relationship between fitness and cancer diagnosis. For example, a 2021 study found that if all U.S. adults met physical activity guidelines, cancer diagnoses could decrease by 3%, or 46,000, each year.
However, while extensive research has been conducted on the relationship between exercise and conditions such as breast cancer, there has been less research specifically focused on prostate cancer. After the age of 50, all men’s chances of developing prostate cancer increase. The risk appears to run within the family. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.
Previous research examining the relationship between physical activity and prostate cancer has been contradictory, said study co-author Dr. Kate Bolam. Some people who are physically active have been shown to have an increased risk of prostate cancer, while others have found a decreased risk.
But many of those studies had small sample sizes or were biased toward healthier people, said Bolam, a researcher at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences.
“Men who are more health-conscious are generally better at going to the doctor for prostate cancer screening tests,” she says.
More tests mean more diagnoses, including for men whose cancer never progresses. Because cancer cells are present in the prostate gland throughout life and may not be dangerous, many men who do not get tested and experience no symptoms may not know they have prostate cancer.
The Swedish team gets a more nuanced picture by using a national database containing hundreds of thousands of lab results, including fitness tests that measure how well the heart and lungs deliver oxygen to the muscles. I was able to do.
Unlike studies that rely on patients’ reports of their exercise habits, this allowed experts to obtain objective measurements. The results clearly showed a link between physical activity and reduced prostate cancer risk. It was also shown that significant gains in fitness were associated with significant reductions in risk.
This increases our understanding of how important exercise is in preventing cancer more generally. A 2019 review by the American College of Sports Medicine found that regular physical activity significantly reduced the risk of bladder, breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal, kidney, and stomach cancers. I found out that it does. The same analysis also found that having a regular exercise routine was associated with improved treatment outcomes and increased life expectancy for people who already had cancer.
It’s not clear exactly how this happens, but experts believe that exercise can help fight cancer by strengthening the way the immune system targets and eradicates cancer cells. He said that this could be one explanation.
Neil M. Iyengar, a medical oncologist and physician-scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, says, “Even just a single bout of exercise can help our bodies move immune cells into circulation.” “We know it helps release it.” “It also helps increase the number of immune cells in the tissue that fight cancer cells.”
Furthermore, “people who exercise actually have more immune cells in their bodies that can kill cancer cells. On the other hand, the opposite is seen in sedentary people, especially those who are obese.” Masu.”
Researchers still don’t know exactly the right amount and type of exercise to be most effective, but both the American Cancer Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggest 150 minutes a week, or 20 minutes a day. minutes of aerobic exercise is recommended. This could be light walking, jogging, or weight-bearing exercise.
Both Iyengar and Bolam recommend starting simply. Find a fun activity and get moving. That might be playing with your children or grandchildren, going for a walk, or joining a recreational sports league. They said consistency is key, which is why it’s important to find activities that don’t feel like a chore.
“Everyone has an opportunity here to do something really cost-effective to reduce their risk of prostate cancer,” Bolam said. “And that’s something we have complete control over.”
