So we now know that red meat doesn't affect prostate cancer risk. But what about exercise? After all, it's the beginning of the New Year and many of us make an annual resolution to exercise more every January. Perhaps we need a stronger motivator?
Well, the folks over at the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study looked at self-reported exercise in 2,705 men w/non-metastatic prostate cancer and followed them from 1990 to 2008. Given the recent interest in active surveillance as a therapeutic option for diagnosed prostate cancer these days, it's interesting to note that of the 548 deaths in these men over this period of time, only 20% were due to prostate cancer. In other words, as we've said all along, you're more likely to die with prostate cancer than from it.
Their conclusion? Those men who self-reported as being physically active had lower all-cause mortality and prostate cancer specific mortality. And those who were vigorously active had lower mortality than those who were non-vigorously active. Duration of vigorous activity also made a difference at greater than 3 hours/week compared to less than 1 hour/week. And vigorous exercise even prior to diagnosis also made an impact on mortality & survival.
Just what constitutes vigorous? Biking, tennis, jogging or swimming were given as examples. Even those men who reported walking at a normal to very brisk pace for 90 minutes/week had a lower risk of death compared to those reporting shorter durations at an easy walking pace.
So there you have it. Exercise makes a difference in prostate cancer and all-cause mortality - just another reason to keep your New Year's resolution to exercise regularly.
It's interesting to note that of the 548 deaths in these men over this period of time, only 20% were due to prostate cancer. Chiropractor Kansas City
ReplyDelete