Private MD News

Exercise may reduce prostate cancer risk

Category: Prostate

Men who have received a positive PSA test for prostate cancer may benefit from increasing their physical activity. A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has found that exercise may significantly reduce the mortality rate of prostate cancer.

Many men will receive an elevated PSA test score at some point in their life. However, high levels of the protein do not always guarantee a high risk of deadly cancer. Many factors can determine whether a man's condition will progress. The findings from the team of Harvard University researchers indicate that exercise may be one of the most important factors.

For the study, investigators followed 2,705 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer for a period of 18 years. The participants were surveyed about how much time they spent each week doing physical activities like walking, running, swimming, biking and outdoor work.

They found that men who exercised for 90 minutes or more each week were 46 percent less likely to die from any cause during the study period. These participants were 61 percent less likely to die from prostate cancer.