Being in good physical shape could reduce the risk of nine types of cancer, study finds (or, is taking care of your health an investment in human capital?)

Economists talk about human capital. That is when you learn skills that are valuable in the market place. You train to become a doctor or engineer or accountant. Then you can earn more money.

If you take care of your health (and maybe especially when you are younger) you are investing in your human capital since you will then be able to remain productive for longer and also enjoy the benefits of good health as you age.

People at high fitness levels had an especially sizable reduction in their risk of gastrointestinal cancers, the research showed

By Maia Pandey of NBC. Excerpts:

"A new study adds to the large body of evidence that being in good physical shape can dramatically reduce cancer risk.

The study, published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that men with high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in young adulthood had a lower risk of developing nine forms of cancer years later, including in the head and the neck, the lungs, the kidneys and the gastrointestinal system.

The study followed more than 1 million young men in Sweden over an average of 33 years, starting when they took a military fitness test that, until 2010, was legally required at around 18 years old. The researchers then analyzed the rates of cancer diagnoses among the men and compared them to the fitness levels registered on their military tests.

The test involved riding a stationary bike, first at a low resistance level for five minutes, then with an increase in resistance of 25 watts per minute until the test takers were too tired to continue. 

The authors of the new study sorted participants into low, moderate and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness — a measure of how well one’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems supply oxygen to the muscles — based on their bike test results. They found that the people with high fitness levels had a 19% lower risk of head and neck cancer and a 20% lower risk of kidney cancer compared to the low-fitness group.

The risk of lung cancer, meanwhile, was 42% lower for the fittest participants, though that was explained mainly by people’s smoking habits."

"the risk for high-fitness participants was nearly 40% lower for cancers in the esophagus, the liver, the bile ducts and the gallbladder and about 20% lower for the stomach and the colon."

"a March study involving more than 30 million participants found that just 11 minutes of daily physical activity was linked to lower risk of death from various cancers. And a 2016 analysis found that higher physical activity levels were associated with a reduced risk of developing 13 of 26 cancers studied. Studies have shown that physical activity is linked to a 30% lower risk of death even after colorectal cancer diagnoses"

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Almost half of cancer deaths globally are attributable to preventable risk factors, new study suggests (2022)

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