Exercise cuts risk of lethal prostate cancer, study shows

Think you already know all the reasons why you should exercise? Here’s one more. Exercise appears to significantly cut an older man’s risk of a lethal form of prostate cancer.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and Harvard tracked more than 60,000 men ages 40-84 and found that those who participated in “regular intense exercise that induced sweating” combined with several other healthy lifestyles were at a 68 percent lower risk of an aggressive type of prostate cancer that is usually fatal. Other factors that seemed to lower the risk were not smoking and eating fish rich in omega-3s such as salmon. But vigorous exercise offered the highest degree of protection.

The findings were published last month in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 27,540 men will die of prostate cancer in 2015, with 90 percent of the victims 65 and older.