Exercise May Lower Prostate Cancer Risks Up to 35%

Men who improved their cardiorespiratory fitness level over time were less likely to develop prostate cancer, when compared with men who did not exercise or who did not improve their fitness levels, as noted in a large longitudinal study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2023; 10.1136/bjsports-2023-107007). Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of men’s cancer after skin cancer, and the second-leading cause of male cancer death after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Researchers from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences followed 57,652 Swedish men, with an average age of 41, for approximately 7 years who had completed an occupational health assessment with at least two cardiorespiratory fitness tests. During follow-up, approximately 1% died from prostate cancer.

Data analysis showed those who improved fitness levels by at least 3% annually over 5-years were 35% less likely to develop prostate cancer.

“We don’t know for sure why fitness might reduce prostate cancer risks, but we do know that physical activity and fitness have positive effects on inflammation, our immune system, hormones, and body composition—and all these things have been linked to cancer risk for certain cancers,” says lead study author Kate Bolam, PhD, of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm.

See also: Vigorous Exercise Cuts Lethal Prostate Cancer Risk