Healthy Lifestyle Pattern is Protective Against 30-Yr Cancer Incidence in Men and Women: A Cohort Study

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectives: Investigate associations of healthier behaviors with 30-yr cancer incidence.Subjects/Methods: In 1982, 632 healthy men and women (ages 40–70) were interviewed for nutritional habits using a Food Frequency Questionnaire and a 24-h physical activity questionnaire. Blood pressure, weight, and height were measured, and blood was drawn for biochemical profiles. Thirteen and four subjects were excluded due to cancer diagnosis ≤1 yr from recruitment and extreme values of reported total daily calorie intake, respectively.Results: During a mean follow-up of 24.2 yr, 146 cancer incident patients (23.7%) were documented. Total cancer risk was 38% lower in the medium vegetable intake tertile [adjusted hazards ratio (HR) = 0.62, 95%confidence interval (CI): 0.40–0.95], and 66% higher in the medium fruit intake tertile (adjusted HR = 1.66, 95%CI: 1.08–2.55) compared to the lowest tertile. The risk of gastrointestinal cancers was 3 times greater for the highest, compared to the lowest, dairy consumption tertile (HR = 3.06, 95%CI: 1.01–9.23). “Healthy lifestyle” (normal BMI, never smoked, consuming high levels of dietary fiber and vegetables, and more physically active) reduced overall cancer risk (adjusted HR = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.44–0.91) as compared to the rest of the cohort.Conclusions: Our findings reinforce the importance of lifestyle-related factors, which are relatively low-cost and may contribute to reduction in the burden of malignant diseases.