Men Should Be Fit at Every Age! Why?

A large long-term study found good cardiovascular fitness in middle-aged men reduced particularly lung and colon cancer risk.

Regular activity brings broad health benefits and lowers certain cancer risks. Exercise suited to body and health under expert advice minimizes cancer development, repeatedly demonstrated in dozens of studies. Here is another..

According to research results shared with the public at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's 2013 annual meeting, middle-aged men with good cardiovascular fitness were suggested to have a very low likelihood of developing colorectal or lung cancer and of dying. In the study conducted at the Cooper Institute in Texas, researchers examined cardiovascular fitness in men with an average age of 50, numbering more than 17,000, over an average of 20 years.

The exercise test given to participants involved walking on a treadmill at different speeds, with performance based on the length of time they could walk. The study covered the three cancers most commonly seen in men: lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer. During the study, the individuals followed developed 2,332 prostate cancers, 276 colorectal cancers, and 277 lung cancers over time.

In Conclusion;

• Compared with men with lower fitness levels, men with better fitness had a %68 reduction in their risk of developing lung cancer and a %38 reduction in their risk of developing colorectal cancer. These analyses also took account of smoking and body mass index, two risk factors potentially associated with cancer. The study observed no effect of fitness level on the development of prostate cancer.
• Increased fitness produced a %14 reduction in cancer-related deaths and a reduction of more than % 20 in deaths from cardiovascular disease. Thus, even the smallest increase in fitness was found to benefit individuals.
• Low fitness was shown to increase cancer risk even in patients who were not overweight. This finding showed that even overweight people could benefit from exercise in reducing their cancer risk.

As has once again become clear, making exercise part of your life, as I have repeatedly advised as a rule for healthy living, should not be too difficult. Exercise within the limits permitted by your health will always benefit you and help protect you against disease. Exercise means a more vigorous mind and a strong immune system. A strong immune system, in turn, will keep diseases as far away from us as possible.

Exercise supported by proper nutrition is a primary condition for health and among the greatest kindnesses to yourself.