Brisk walk may lower prostate cancer risk

Do daily walk and regular exercise have an impact on prostate cancer prognosis? Yes, say researchers.

Men who engage in higher levels of physical activity have been reported to have a lower risk of prostate cancer recurrence and mortality compared with men who participate in little or no physical activity.

"Research has shown that men with prostate tumours containing more regularly-shaped blood vessels have a more favourable prognosis compared with men with prostate tumours containing mostly irregularly-shaped blood vessels," said Erin Van Blarigan, assistant professor at University of California, San Francisco.

The researchers found that men with the fastest walking pace (3.5 miles per hour) prior to diagnosis had 8 percent more regularly-shaped blood vessels compared with men with the slowest walking pace (1.5 miles per hour), said the study.

In the study, we found that men who reported walking at a brisk pace had more regularly-shaped blood vessels in their prostate tumours compared with men who reported walking at a less brisk pace.

The findings were presented at the AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research held from Jan 18-21.

"Our study supports the growing evidence of the benefits of exercise, such as brisk walking, for men with prostate cancer," said Van Blarigan.