Study shows early physical fitness cuts risk for 9 types of cancer

Remaining physically fit in youth appears to offer substantial benefits in reducing cancer risk, especially among men, according to recent research.

The study, featured in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, disclosed that men who maintained strong cardiorespiratory fitness during their early years had a decreased likelihood of developing nine specific cancer types later in life. These cancers encompassed head and neck, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, bowel, kidney, and lung cancers.

Conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, the study involved examining over 1 million men who had undergone a compulsory military fitness assessment around the age of 18. Over a span of 33 years, the researchers tracked cancer diagnoses among these men.

The participants were categorised into three groups based on their cardiorespiratory fitness levels: low, moderate, and high. The study revealed that individuals with high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness demonstrated a 19% reduced risk of head and neck cancer and a 20% decreased risk of kidney cancer, in comparison to those in the low-fitness group.

Furthermore, the group exhibiting the highest fitness levels displayed a noteworthy 42% lower risk for lung cancer.

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