Key Takeaways

This study is more conclusive because of the different assessments used over time. Previously, research about prostate cancer risk and exercise looked at fitness at one point in time, lead study author Elin Ekblom Bak, PhD, associate professor at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, said in apress release. In her team’s study, more than 57,000 people with prostates underwent two fitness tests on cycle ergometers—stationary bicycles equipped to test fitness—about five years apart. Their results were paired with data from a health profile questionnaire, which included metrics like weight, height, blood pressure, lifestyle, and more.

Michael McConnell, MD, a clinical professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford Health Care who was not involved with the study, told Verywell a 3% annual increase in cardiorespiratory fitness is pretty doable.

Here’s what you need to know.

Which Exercises Help Improve Cardiorespiratory Fitness?

How you go about improving your fitness levels depends on the baseline you’re starting at. According to theDepartment of Health and Human Services, Americans should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.

McConnell recommends using exercise guidance from the American Heart Association as a go-to reference while building up your activity levels.

The recommendations highlight the type, intensity, frequency, time, pattern, and progression as guidance to slowly increase your exercise routine as outlined in the below table.

“The overall message is that getting a 3% increase should be achievable for most, and that involves trying to move up one level on the overall physical activity guidelines,” McConnell said. “Higher intensity counts more, so you get more bang for your buck if you can mix in some higher-intensity activities.”

If you already have an established routine, keep up the good work and try to add more high-intensity exercises.

Many apps and wearables now help track your VO2max range, which is the best way to measure cardiorespiratory fitness.VO2maxis the maximum amount of oxygen that you can use while doing high-intensity exercises. The higher the VO2max, the more energy your body produces, allowing you to sustain longer workouts.

You can use common apps found on bothiPhoneand Android phones and watches to capture VO2max data at your baseline fitness level and watch it change as you increase your exercise intensity.

The reason why improved cardiorespiratory fitness may helpprevent prostate canceris likely related to the already-documented reasons why it protects against cancers like colon cancer and breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, high levels of physical activity can:

Screening Is Key to Prevent Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer typically affects older men, and Black men have a much higher risk than White men. Screening can help to detect prostate cancer in its early stages, though the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American Cancer Society recommend that men be informed of the limitations of prostate cancer screening and the risk of false-positive results that may lead to additional testing and possible overtreatment. For men who choose to be screened, the USPSTF recommends periodic prostate-specific antigen screening for men 55 to 69 years old and recommends against screening men 70 years or older.

While there is no surefire way to prevent cancer, there are a few things beyond exercising that you can do to decrease your risk:

What This Means For YouIt’s important for people who don’t exercise to get moving, even if that means just starting with 10 minutes a day and slowly increasing your exercise intensity until you are able to sustain 150 minutes a week or more. This can help decrease your risk of cancer, including prostate cancer.

What This Means For You

It’s important for people who don’t exercise to get moving, even if that means just starting with 10 minutes a day and slowly increasing your exercise intensity until you are able to sustain 150 minutes a week or more. This can help decrease your risk of cancer, including prostate cancer.

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bolam KA, Bojsen-Møller E, Wallin P, et al.Association between change in cardiorespiratory fitness and prostate cancer incidence and mortality in 57 652 Swedish men.Br J Sports Med. Published online February 26, 2024. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107007National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)–patient version.Ross R, Blair SN, Arena R, et al.Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2016;134(24):e653-e699. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000461National Cancer Institute.Physical activity and cancer.US Preventive Services Task Force, Grossman DC, Curry SJ, et al.Screening for prostate cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. 2018;319(18):1901-1913. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.3710Smith RA, Andrews KS, Brooks D, et al.Cancer screening in the United States, 2019: a review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening.CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(3):184-210. doi:10.3322/caac.21557Prostate Cancer Foundation.Prostate cancer prevention.

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bolam KA, Bojsen-Møller E, Wallin P, et al.Association between change in cardiorespiratory fitness and prostate cancer incidence and mortality in 57 652 Swedish men.Br J Sports Med. Published online February 26, 2024. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107007National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)–patient version.Ross R, Blair SN, Arena R, et al.Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2016;134(24):e653-e699. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000461National Cancer Institute.Physical activity and cancer.US Preventive Services Task Force, Grossman DC, Curry SJ, et al.Screening for prostate cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. 2018;319(18):1901-1913. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.3710Smith RA, Andrews KS, Brooks D, et al.Cancer screening in the United States, 2019: a review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening.CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(3):184-210. doi:10.3322/caac.21557Prostate Cancer Foundation.Prostate cancer prevention.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Bolam KA, Bojsen-Møller E, Wallin P, et al.Association between change in cardiorespiratory fitness and prostate cancer incidence and mortality in 57 652 Swedish men.Br J Sports Med. Published online February 26, 2024. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107007National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)–patient version.Ross R, Blair SN, Arena R, et al.Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2016;134(24):e653-e699. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000461National Cancer Institute.Physical activity and cancer.US Preventive Services Task Force, Grossman DC, Curry SJ, et al.Screening for prostate cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. 2018;319(18):1901-1913. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.3710Smith RA, Andrews KS, Brooks D, et al.Cancer screening in the United States, 2019: a review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening.CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(3):184-210. doi:10.3322/caac.21557Prostate Cancer Foundation.Prostate cancer prevention.

Bolam KA, Bojsen-Møller E, Wallin P, et al.Association between change in cardiorespiratory fitness and prostate cancer incidence and mortality in 57 652 Swedish men.Br J Sports Med. Published online February 26, 2024. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107007

National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)–patient version.

Ross R, Blair SN, Arena R, et al.Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2016;134(24):e653-e699. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000461

National Cancer Institute.Physical activity and cancer.

US Preventive Services Task Force, Grossman DC, Curry SJ, et al.Screening for prostate cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. 2018;319(18):1901-1913. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.3710

Smith RA, Andrews KS, Brooks D, et al.Cancer screening in the United States, 2019: a review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening.CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(3):184-210. doi:10.3322/caac.21557

Prostate Cancer Foundation.Prostate cancer prevention.

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