Physical activity cuts risk of prostate cancer death
Font size:
Vigorous physical activity may help reduce risk of death from prostate cancer, a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests.
The study led by researchers at The Harvard School of Public Health and University of California, San Francisco showed the risk of prostate cancer death may be reduced by up to 61 percent in those who engaged in vigorous physical activity, compared with those who did not.
Early studies have shown physical activity is correlated with low incidence of prostate cancer. But the current study was believed to be the first to look at how physical activity would affect the prognosis in prostate cancer patients.
For the study, Stacey Kenfield, lead author of the study, of Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues followed 2,705 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for a period of 18 years.
The average time per week spent on physical activity was estimated for each individual. Activities includes walking, running, bicycling, swimming and other outdoor activities and sports.
The researchers found those who walked 90 or more minutes per week at a normal or brisk pace were 46 percent less likely to die from all causes, compared with those who spent less than 90 minutes walking at an easy pace.
However, the reduction in death risk from prostate cancer was only observed in those who engaged in vigorous physical activity, that is, spending more than 180 minutes per week. Those who had vigorous physical activity were at 61 percent reduced risk of death from prostate cancer, compared with those who spent only 60 minutes per week.
Physical exercise has been associated with reduced risk of developing many types of cancers and reduced death risk of many cancers including colon, breast, endometrium, lung, prostate, ovarian, gastric, rectal, pancreatic, bladder, testicular, kidney and haematological cancers.
The American Cancer Society says on its website there is no known reason that explains why physical activity reduces the risk of maglignancies.
But studies suggest physical activity reduces cancer risk or risk of cancer death by preventing weight gain, improving insulin resistance, reducing inflammation, boosting immune system function, and lowering hormones.
Friedenreich CM and colleague of Alberta Health Services in Canada reported in the Sept 2010 issue of European Journal of Cancer that "Public health recommendations for physical activity and cancer prevention generally suggest 30-60 min of moderate or vigorous-intensity activity done at least 5 day per week."
Physical activity is not the only thing that affects prostate cancer death risk. Batty G.D. and colleagues from University College London in the U.K. reported in the Nov 30 2010 issue of Cancer causes and Control that marital status, blood cholesterol and height can also determine the risk of death from prostate cancer.
In a study of 17,934 men of whom 578 died from prostate cancer, the researchers found widowed or divorced men were 44 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer, compared with those who were married. But they did not find any association between physical activity and risk of death from the disease.
Prostate cancer is diagnosed in 217,000 men each year in the United States and the disease kills 32,000 annually, according to the National Cancer Institute.
David Liu
Related articles:
Add to:
del.icio.us |
Digg
del.icio.us |
Digg
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text
Home
Set as homepage
Add to favorites
Mobile site
Rss
Plain text
Archive