The Best Reason Men Should Ditch the Paunch

Family Health, Featured Article, Healthy Living
on May 16, 2013
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Staying fit during middle age decreases a man’s chance of developing certain cancers later in life, according to a new study supported by the National Cancer Institute. The research, conducted at the University of Vermont, found that men who remained physically fit during their 40s, 50s and 60s had a lower risk of colorectal and lung cancer, and were less likely to die from prostate cancer. The study of 17,000 men controlled for other factors like tobacco use, weight and age.

Most interestingly, even a small improvement in fitness over the course of the study appeared to increase the cancer-fighting benefits. The author noted that a 50-year-old man who was able to increase his workout by just 3 minutes could see up to a 14 percent drop in his cancer death risk, and a 23 percent drop in heart disease death risk, according to their calculations.

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