Cardiorespiratory Fitness Levels Lowers Cancer Death in Men

The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Sweden conducted a study that evaluated cardiorespiratory fitness levels and the incidence of three of the most common malignancies in men.

The researchers detail the methods and findings of a large cohort study that finds higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a lower risk of colon and lung cancer, but a higher risk of prostate cancer in a paper titled “Association Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Cancer Incidence and Cancer-Specific Mortality of Colon, Lung, and Prostate Cancer Among Swedish Men,” published in JAMA Network Open.

The study looked at 17,709 men between the ages of 18 and 75, with a mean age of 42 and a body mass index of 26 across a 9.6-year period. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was measured using a submaximal cycle ergometer test, which is an exercise that stays below 85% of the projected maximum heart rate and predicts VO2max, the maximum rate (V) of oxygen (O2) they would have reached at their maximum heart rate.

There were 499 incident instances of colon cancer, 283 cases of lung cancer, and 1,918 cases of prostate cancer during the research. There were 152 fatalities from colon cancer, 207 deaths from lung cancer, and 141 deaths from prostate cancer.

Higher CRF levels were linked to a lower risk of colon and lung cancer incidence (2%), but a higher risk of prostate cancer incidence (1%). A higher CRF was also linked to a decreased probability of dying from colorectal (2%) and lung (3%) cancer. Despite having a greater prevalence rate, persons with a high CRF had a 5% decreased risk of dying from prostate cancer.

When looking at younger nonsmokers with a healthy BMI and the highest CRF, the cancer hazard risk was substantially lower than the previous percentages. The key conclusion was that increased CRF, independent of age, is associated with a decreased risk of colon cancer incidence and lung cancer incidence, as well as a lower risk of colon, lung, and prostate cancer death.

According to the authors’ theoretical calculation of avoided cases, avoiding having very low CRF levels could prevent 4% to 8% of all colon cancer cases, 4% of all lung cancer fatalities, and 4% to 19% of prostate cancer deaths.

The authors distinguish between self-reported and subjective physical activity behavior and cardiorespiratory fitness, which is an objective measurement of the physiologic body reaction. Higher-intensity physical activity may have even higher benefits on CRF and may be more protective against the development and death from some malignancies.

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