Prostate cancer is common in older men, with about one in eight eventually getting it. It’s the second leading cause of death in men after lung cancer. But in most cases, it’s slow-growing, and most men diagnosed with prostate cancer don’t die from it.
You might not know, but:
- 3% yearly boost in cardio fitness = 35% lower prostate cancer risk.
- Getting fitter may reduce prostate cancer risk.
- Fitness doesn’t affect prostate cancer death risk, per researchers.
Let’s know more about it!
The Relationship Between Fitness and Prostate Cancer
Doing regular exercise helps lower the risk of different cancers, like prostate cancer. Exercise helps keep a healthy weight and balances hormones, which are important for preventing cancer.
Exercise helps balance hormones.
Hormones play a big part in prostate cancer, and exercise can help keep them in check. By staying active, you can keep hormone levels, like testosterone, in a healthy range, which lowers the chance of getting prostate cancer.
Special clothes might help.
Compression wear, like tight workout clothes, can also make a difference. Studies suggest wearing compression wear during exercise could lower the risk of prostate cancer even more.
Running, Biking, And Swimming ‘Might Lower The Risk Of Prostate Cancer.’
Doing more running, cycling, or swimming could lower the chances of getting prostate cancer in men by more than a third.
A study in Sweden found that increasing how fit you are by three per cent each year was linked to a 35 per cent lower risk of getting prostate cancer.
The study looked at data from 57,652 men, including details about their physical activity, height, weight, lifestyle, and how healthy they felt.
They also did fitness tests to see how much oxygen their bodies used during hard exercise.
They split the men into groups based on whether their fitness improved by 3%, stayed the same, or got worse each year.
Over about seven years, 592 men got prostate cancer, and 46 died from it.
The men who got fitter by 3% each year were 35% less likely to get prostate cancer compared to those whose fitness got worse.
This study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests that it’s important for everyone to try to improve their fitness level.
Factors That Increase the Risk of Prostate Cancer
We’re not sure exactly what causes prostate cancer, but some things can make it more likely for you to get it. These include:
- Age: The older you get, the more likely you are to get prostate cancer, especially if you’re over 50.
- Diet: Some research suggests that eating a lot of calcium might raise the chances of getting prostate cancer.
- Weight: Being overweight might be linked to prostate cancer, but eating healthy and staying active could help lower your risk.
- Family: If your brother or father had prostate cancer before they were 60, it could raise your risk. Also, if a close female relative had breast cancer, your risk might be higher too.
- Ethnicity: Prostate cancer happens more often in black men than in Asian men.
