Adolescent Exercise Linked to Reduced Risk of Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

Adolescent exercise was found to be associated with a decreased risk of death caused by cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all causes, according to an article published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

This study included 74,941 Chinese women (40-70 years) who took part in the Shanghai Women’s Health Study (SWHS) between 1996 and 2000.

Results showed adolescent exercise for less than or equal to 1.33 hours per week hazard ratios (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72, 0.95); (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70, 0.98); and (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71, 0.85) and greater than 1.33 hours per week (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74, 0.93); (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.53, 0.72); and (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.66, 0.77) were both associated with reduced mortality risk caused by cancer, CVD, and all causes, HRs reported, respectively.

Furthermore, an inverse association was observed between participation in sports teams and cancer mortality (HR, 0.86; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.97).

After adjusting for adult and adolescent factors, the authors concluded joint adolescent and adult exercise was also linked to reduced risk of cancer, CVD, and all-cause mortality (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.74, 1.01), (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69, 1.00), and (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.72, 0.89), respectively, and found exercise during adolescence was inversely related to cancer mortality (HR, 0.84; 95% CI: 0.71, 0.98).