A recent study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that good vascular health in early life can lower cancer risk in adulthood by 40%, specifically in men. The study shows that a reduced risk was associated with nine specific types of cancer, including head and neck, stomach, esophagus, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidney, and bowel. The study emphasizes the importance of cardiovascular fitness, characterized as an individual’s capacity for sustained aerobic exercise like running or swimming.
Previously, physical activity has been linked to lower cancer risks. Yet, comprehensive, long-term studies involving multiple cancers have been scarce. Researchers utilized Swedish registry data up until the conclusion of 2019 for over one million conscripts who entered military service from 1968 to 2005.
The conscripts, all entering service between the ages of 16 and 25, underwent numerous standard evaluations, such as height, weight, blood pressure, muscular strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Analysis of the men showed an inverse relationship between the level of fitness and instances of cancer.
Nonetheless, researchers noted a 7% increased risk of prostate cancer and a 31% increased risk of skin cancer among those with higher cardiorespiratory fitness. Possible explanations for these findings include prostate cancer screening and sun exposure.
The authors of the study caution that the correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Furthermore, they acknowledge that other potential lifestyle risk factors and changes in cardiorespiratory fitness over time were not accounted for in the study. Their results are, however, consistent with the American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines on exercise during cancer treatment.
The study’s findings suggest that maintaining a healthier body, and particularly cardiovascular exercise, can contribute to keeping cancer at bay. They still underline the importance of factors other than exercise in cancer prevention, such as diet, lifestyle, alcohol use, and smoking.
The study also found benefits for cancer prevention in cardiorespiratory fitness, such as improved metabolic, inflammatory, and immune functioning. This hints at the potential interplay between cardiorespiratory fitness and cancer risk. Although the study does not clarify causality, it emphasizes the necessity for further research.
Lastly, the study suggests that prior exercise could also influence cancer risks, and that higher rates of skin cancer among those with better cardiovascular health could result from higher sun exposure due to outdoor exercise.