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Working out could help ward off prostate cancer in men over 60

November 20, 2015

Exercise appears to be the biggest single factor in the prevention of lethal prostate cancer, a US study concludes. – AFP pic, November 20, 2015.We all know the benefits that exercise and a healthy lifestyle can bring, but now a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has shown just how effective exercise and other good habits could be in the prevention of lethal prostate cancer in men.

Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco looked at data from two US studies which together tracked more than 62,000 men for a period of 24-28 years.

The team looked at six healthy lifestyle factors, including participating in vigorous exercise, a body mass index (BMI) under 30, non-smoking status or smoke-free status for 10 years or more, a high consumption of fatty fish and tomatoes, and a low consumption of processed meat.

All patients were diagnosed as cancer-free at the start of the study.

After calculating the number of men who went on to develop lethal prostate cancer, and studying the lifestyle factors in the two groups, the team estimated that in the United States, 47% of lethal prostate cancer cases could be prevented if men over 60 followed five or more of these healthy habits.

Looking at these healthy lifestyle factors on their own, consuming at least seven servings of tomatoes per week could cut the risk by 15%, consuming at least one serving of fatty fish per week by 17%, and reducing intake of processed meats would cut the risk by 12%.

Exercise, however, appeared to be the biggest single factor in the prevention of lethal prostate cancer, with the team estimating that 34% of cases could be prevented if men worked out to the point of sweating for at least three hours a week.

The abstract to the study can be found online here.

Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States, with around 1 in 7 men diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2015 there will be approximately 220,800 new cases of prostate cancer and approximately 27,540 deaths.

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania announced earlier this week they have found that regular yoga can benefit prostate cancer patients experiencing side effects from radiation treatment.

In the study, men who attended yoga classes twice a week showed stabilized results when tested on the common side effects of erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, and an improvement in cancer-related fatigue. Patients also reported an increase in their general sense of well-being. – AFP Relaxnews, November 20, 2015.