Male smokers who think walking, swimming or other physical activity will lower their risk of lung cancer are wrong, researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland say. The research team studied 27,087 Finnish men, aged 50 to 69 years, who between 1985 and 1988 smoked at least five cigarettes per day. Nearly 60% of the men were employed; the remaining 42% were older, had a longer history of smoking had poorer diets, and were more likely to have been exposed, while working, to asbestos and other substances that put them at risk of developing lung cancer.
After 10 years of follow-up, it was determined that neither leisure-time physical activity, nor occupational physical activity such as regular walking or lifting, was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer. The one exception was among physically active men aged 50 to 56 years, who were reportedly 20% to 25% less likely to develop lung cancer than their sedentary peers. No similar trend was observed among older men.
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