Intense Exercise May Curb Cancer Deaths For Men

Physical activity has been associated with a reduced risk of cancer in some population studies notes one of the study's researchers. The amount and intensity of physical activity needed to reduce premature death from cancer is based on only a few studies.

To investigate further, the researchers assessed over 2,500 men from eastern Finland with no history of cancer at the beginning of the study. During the follow up that took place over a period of 16.7 years, a total of 181 men died of cancer. The men who were 53 years old, on average, at follow-up.

According to the cancer study researchers, the average intensity of leisure-time physical activity was 4.5 METs and average duration of physical activity was 462 minutes per week. However, 27 percent of the men exercised for less than 30 minutes per day. The researchers measured physical activity in metabolic units (METs or metabolic equivalents of oxygen consumption). METs are a measure of energy expenditure.

The researchers found that an increase of 1.2 METs in the average intensity of leisure-time physical activity was associated with a 15 percent decrease in the relative risk of cancer-related death, after adjusting for a variety of factors including age, smoking, alcohol use, body weight and fat intake. This was mainly due to decreased risks of lung and gastrointestinal cancers.

Compared with men with physical activity of less than 3.7 METs, those with physical activity of more than 5.2 METs had a 36 percent lower relative risk of cancer-related death. The mean intensity of physical activity was related to cancer deaths only among those who exercise more than 30 minutes per day on average researchers noted in their report.