According to a comprehensive study, evidence shows that maintaining an ideal cardiorespiratory fitness level during early adulthood has been linked to up to 40% reduced risks of nine specific cancers later on, such as lung, bowel, head and neck cancer, kidney, liver pancreas stomach esophagus cancer.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) refers to an individual’s ability to engage in aerobic exercises like swimming, cycling, running and climbing stairs for sustained periods. CRF has been linked with lower risks of certain cancers but few long-term studies examining multiple forms have been performed.

Researchers utilized information from the Swedish registry that covered medical diagnoses, participant backgrounds and deaths up to the end of 2019 for participants in its database.

At the outset of this study, when participants were between 16 and 25 years of age, they underwent an array of measurements that included CRF, muscular strength, blood pressure, BMI and height.

Participants with lower CRF levels were more likely to report substance and alcohol abuse histories and were slightly less likely to be obese compared with participants who had higher levels of CRF.

Overall, 365,874 participants who were all male had low CRF levels; 519,652 had moderate levels; and 340,952 had high ones.

Final analysis involved over one million men; of these men, 7% developed cancer at least one time over an average 33-year monitoring period.

Men who had low fitness levels at the start of the study had higher CRF were directly linked with reduced risks of certain forms of cancer.

Studies revealed a connection between nutrition and reduced cancer risks: 5% reduction of rectal cancer risks; 12% decrease in pancreatic cancer risks; 18% drop in bowel cancer risks; 19% lower head and neck cancer risks; 20% decline in kidney cancer risks; 21-1 decrease in stomach cancer risks; 39% lessen of esophageal cancer risks; 40-40 increase in liver cancer risks, and 42-2 drop in lung cancer risks.

Higher CRF was linked with a 7% increase in prostate cancer risk and 31% rise in skin cancer risk; researchers speculate that screening and sunlight exposure might explain these results.

As this was an observational study, no definitive statements can be drawn regarding cause and effect, nor complete data available regarding smoking, alcohol intake, or diet that might have had an influence on its results.

Researchers were also unable to monitor any CRF changes over time or collect genetic information on participants.