Physical activity associated with lower risk for many cancers

People who exercise more may be less likely to get 13 types of cancers, according to a study published online today by JAMA Internal Medicine. The study examined whether moderate to vigorous leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower risk of developing 26 kinds of cancer, based on pooled data from eight U.S. and four European studies that included self-reported physical activity. About 187,000 cancers were identified in the 1.4 million study participants over an average follow-up period of 11 years. Comparing the most active participants with the least active participants, the risk of developing cancer was at least 20% lower for esophageal adenocarcinoma, liver cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, gastric cardia cancer, endometrial cancer and myeloid leukemia. “These findings support promoting physical activity as a key component of population-wide cancer prevention and control efforts,” the authors said.