Lowering heart risk also lowers cancer risk

Lowering heart risk also lowers cancer risk

Lowering heart risk also lowers cancer risk – so says a study in the journal Circulation. They checked whether seven important American Heart Association recommended heart health measurements lowered the incidence of cancer in the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study which had a follow up period of 17-19 years. They found that those with 6-7 of ideal health metrics had a 51% lower risk of new cancer than those who had zero ideal health metrics, though this ideal group was only 2.7% of the population.

The study included 13 253 participants. Even when smoking was removed from the sum of ideal health metrics, still there was a 25% lower risk of cancer, with remaining 5-6 ideal health metrics. The 7 ideal health metrics included were smoking, physical activity, obesity, dietary intake, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

Reference

1. Rasmussen-Torvik LJ, Shay CM, Abramson JG, Friedrich CA, Nettleton JA, Prizment AE, Folsom AR. Ideal cardiovascular health is inversely associated with incident cancer: the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study. Circulation. 2013 Mar 26;127(12):1270-5. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.001183. Epub 2013 Mar 18. PMID: 23509058; PMCID: PMC3685848.