Increase in cardiorespiratory fitness lowers risk for prostate cancer, study suggests

Key takeaways:

• Men with an annual 3% increase in CRF had 35% reduced odds of prostate cancer vs. those with decreased CRF.
• The results highlight the need to support the public to reach moderate CRF levels.

An annual increase in cardiorespiratory fitness level was associated with reduced odds of prostate cancer, a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reported.

“While there are well-established relationships between physical activity levels and the incidence and mortality of an increasing number of cancer types, the evidence for prostate cancer is not conclusive,” Kate A. Bolam, from the department of physical activity and health at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, and colleagues wrote. “Fewer still have investigated the relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and prostate cancer incidence and mortality risk.”

In the study, the researchers analyzed a sample of 57,652 Swedish men who completed two CRF tests — performed on a stationary cycle at least 11 months apart.

During a mean follow-up time of 6.7 years, 1% of the men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 0.08% died because of the cancer.

The researchers found that, after adjusting for several factors, a yearly absolute increase in CRF was associated with a lower incidence of — but not mortality from — prostate cancer (HR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99).

When participants were grouped as having increased, decreased or stable CRF, those whose CRF increased by 3% or more a year were 35% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those whose fitness had declined by 3% (HR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.49-0.86).

When the total cohort was grouped by their baseline CRF, a 15% reduced risk for prostate cancer incidence was seen only among those who already possessed a moderate level of fitness.

“While we can only speculate on the reason for this, it may be that improving one’s CRF from an already high baseline does not confer any discernible additional benefits,” Bolam and colleagues wrote. “It may also be that the increases in CRF in people with low CRF were not sufficient to reach a potential threshold needed to contribute to lowering their risk of prostate cancer.”

The researchers pointed out that there is a “significant” genetic component to both an individual’s CRF levels and cancer risk, which should be considered when interpreting the findings.

Still, the results “highlight the important role of supporting the general public to increase their CRF or aim to reach moderate fitness levels,” they concluded.

References:

• Bolam K, et al. Br J Sports Med. 2024;doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107007.
• Increase in annual cardiorespiratory fitness by 3%+ linked to 35% lower prostate cancer risk. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1032572. Published Jan. 30, 2023. Accessed Jan. 30, 2023.