Having a fit lifestyle is linked to decreased incidence of lung and colorectal cancer later on in life. Researcher have linked high level of fitness to not only decreased incidence of cancer but also a generally more healthy life and higher survival rate after being diagnosed with cancer. Fit lifestyle has effect in the long term and a person’s lifestyle will have effect twenty or thirty years later according to Susan Lakoski, a cardiolofist at University of Vermont where the research was carried out.
A detailed study with over 14,000 men between the age of 46 and 50 was carried out by University of Vermont and Texas. Fitness levels were checked every six and a half years between 1971 and 2009. It was seen that men with high level of fitness were 55 per cent less likely to get cancer compared with people who could not run a mile in under 12 minutes.
The relation between cardiovascular fitness(CRF) and Cardiovascular health is well established, the connection of CRF and rates of cancer is not yet established. The research has shown that cardiovascular fitness is linked to not only better heart condition but also decreased rates of cancer and higher survival rates after being diagnosed with cancer. The research showed that a person diagnosed with cancer after the age of sixty five was 32 per cent less likely to die if he had demonstrated high fitness levels in his late forties.
The report hopes to raise awareness about the need for living a healthy lifestyle. Healthy lifestyle and a good cardiovascular health can be seen as a preventive medicine against cancer according to Susan Lakoski. Overall it is pretty remarkable that lifestyle ten to fifteen years ago can have significant impact on prediction of rates of survival after being diagnosed with cancer and even occurrence of cancer.