In a large cohort study, researchers have observed an association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels and the risk of men dying from some common cancers.
CRF describes the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to make oxygen available to skeletal muscles when a person is exercising for an extensive period. It is a part of physiologic fitness and an objective measure of the physiologic body response, as per researchers.
The new work led by researchers from The Sweden School of Sport and Health Sciences revealed that higher CRF levels as being linked to lower risk of colon and lung in men. They also seemed to lower the risk of dying from prostate cancer.
The findings of the study are reported in the open-access medical journal JAMA Network Open.
The study
Researchers included more than 17,700 men in this work. The subjects’ ages ranged from 18 to 75 years, with 42 years as the mean age. The mean body max index of the men was 26 while the mean follow-up time was 9.6 years.
The team measured CRF as maximal oxygen consumption. This was estimated with the aid of a submaximal cycle ergometer test, which involves exercising no more than 85% predicted max heart rate. The aerobic fitness test aims to predict the maximum rate of oxygen (VO2max) a person would have reached if they had carried on to their maximum heart rate.
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A total of 1,918 men had prostate cancer during the study. There were also 499 cases of colon cancer and 283 lung cancer cases.
In terms of mortality, 207 deaths and 152 deaths were recorded from lung cancer and colon cancer respectively. Prostate cancer resulted in 141 deaths.
Lower cancer risk and deaths with Higher CRF levels
Researchers in this study noted a link between higher CRF and drops in cases of colon and lung cancer (2%). On the other hand, they observed a slightly higher (1%) risk of prostate cancer.
Higher CRF levels were also associated with a 3% lower risk of death from lung cancer and a 2% lower risk of dying from colon cancer. Interestingly, the prostate cancer death rate among men with higher CRF levels dropped by five percent despite a higher incidence risk.
The study authors noted that the risk of cancer was even significantly lower, compared to the foregoing estimates, among younger men who did not smoke, had healthy BMI, and showed the highest CRF levels.
Theoretically speaking, the study authors estimated that higher CRF could ward off 4-8 percent of colon cancer cases and four percent of lung cancer deaths. Higher fitness levels may prevent as high as 19 percent of deaths due to prostate cancer, researchers reckoned.
A major takeaway from this research is that higher CRF may help in reducing colon and lung cancer incidence among men regardless of age. It could also aid in cutting deaths due to colon, lung, and prostate cancer.
CRF levels can improve more greatly from higher-intensity physical activity, the authors stated. Such activity could offer more robust protection against some cancers and the likelihood of dying from them.
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References
Ekblom-Bak, E., Bojsen-Møller, E., Wallin, P., Paulsson, S., Lindwall, M., Rundqvist, H., & Bolam, K. A. (2023). Association Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Cancer Incidence and Cancer-Specific Mortality of Colon, Lung, and Prostate Cancer Among Swedish Men. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.21102
