A high level of physical activity in women who smoked reduced their risk of developing lung cancer by 28 percent compared to smokers who did not exercise, an analysis of more than 36,000 women shows.
While the effect of exercise was significant, the researchers emphasized that the absolute risk of developing lung cancer is still much greater in current and former smokers regardless of activity level.
Led by Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the researchers, from the Universities of Minnesota and Pennsylvania, reported their findings in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
“The most important thing a smoker can do to reduce risk is to quit smoking,” Schmitz said in a prepared statement. “That said, exercising and being active can offer a marginal change in risk. Smokers who exercise are at a 35 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer relative to smokers who don’t exercise, but if you smoke at all, your risk of developing lung cancer is 10- to 11- fold higher than if you didn’t smoke.”