People who overeat or who aren’t physically active face a higher risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a type of cancer involving the body’s lymphatic system, according to a report by Canadian researchers in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “Physical activity, obesity, and (calorie) intake are modifiable lifestyle factors,” Dr. Sai Yi Pan from Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Ottawa, told Reuters Health. “Our findings support the adoption of a healthy lifestyle to prevent the development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.” Pan and colleagues examined the influence of recreational physical activity, obesity, and calorie intake on the risk of NHL using data from Canada’s National Enhanced Cancer Surveillance System. More than 1000 NHL patients and 3000 comparison subjects were involved. Individuals with NHL tended to have higher total calorie intakes and were more likely to be obese than individuals without NHL, the authors report.
Men with the highest levels of physical activity had a 21 percent lower risk of NHL than men with the lowest levels, the report indicates, and the most active women had a 41 percent lower risk than the least active women.
Obesity was associated with a 59 percent higher risk of NHL in men and a 36 percent higher risk of NHL in women, the researchers note, and men with the highest calorie intake had a 95 percent higher risk of NHL than men with the lowest intake.
“Our study adds one more reason” for doctors to recommend physical activity, Pan concluded. He added that he and his colleagues “plan to do further studies to explore the association of diet, vitamin and mineral supplement, and smoking with the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.” SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, December 15, 2005.