Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, JAMA, Lifestyle & Health / 23.05.2016
Physical Activity During Leisure Time Linked to Cancer Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Steven C. Moore PhD, MPH
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics
Rockville, MD
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Moore: More than half of Americans fail to meet recommended levels of regular physical activity; physical inactivity has become a major public health concern.
Physical activity during leisure time is known to reduce risks of heart-disease and all-cause mortality, as well as risks of colon, breast, and endometrial cancers. However, less is known about whether physical activity reduces risk of other cancers.
Hundreds of prospective studies have examined associations between physical activity and risk of different cancers. Due to small case numbers, results have been inconclusive for most cancer types.
In this study, we examined how leisure-time physical activity relates to risk of 26 different cancer types in a pooled analysis of 12 prospective cohort studies with 1.44 million participants. Our objectives were to identify cancers associated with leisure-time physical activity, and determine whether associations varied by body size and/or smoking history.
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