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Physical activity and risk of colorectal cancer in Japanese men and women: the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective Study

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Abstract

Objective

To prospectively examine the association between physical activity and the risk of developing colorectal cancer in a large population-based cohort study of Japanese men and women, and to investigate whether the effects of physical activity on colorectal cancer risk differ by sex and subsite.

Methods

We analyzed data from a population-based cohort of 65,022 subjects. A total of 486 incident colorectal cancers (154 proximal colon, 166 distal colon and 149 rectal cancers) was identified during 6 years of follow-up.

Results

We observed a significant inverse association between physical activity and the risk of developing colorectal cancer, particularly colon cancer, among men. Relative to men in the lowest level of metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per day, those in the highest level had a RR of 0.69 (95% CI = 0.49–0.97). A significant decrease in risk of colorectal cancer was associated with increasing MET hours per day among men. This inverse association was essentially limited to colon cancer. A significant decrease in risk with increasing MET-hour score was observed predominantly for proximal colon cancer among men. In contrast, no significant decrease was seen among women.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that physical activity may prevent colon cancer among Japanese men.

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Acknowledgments

K-J.L. was awarded a Visiting Scientist Fellowship from the Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research in Japan. The authors thank all staff members in each study area for their unfailing efforts in conduction the baseline and follow-up surveys. We also express our gratitude to the Iwate, Aomori, and Okinawa Cancer Registries for providing the incidence data. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research and by the Third-Term Comprehensive Control Research for Cancer from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Epidemiology and Prevention Division, Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, 104-0045, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyung-Jae Lee, Manami Inoue, Tetsuya Otani, Motoki Iwasaki, Shizuka Sasazuki & Shoichiro Tsugane

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

    Kyung-Jae Lee

Authors
  1. Kyung-Jae Lee
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  2. Manami Inoue
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  3. Tetsuya Otani
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  4. Motoki Iwasaki
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  5. Shizuka Sasazuki
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  6. Shoichiro Tsugane
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Consortia

JPHC Study Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manami Inoue.

Additional information

Study group members are listed in the Appendix at the end of this article.

Appendix

Appendix

Members of the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC Study, principal investigator: S. Tsugane) Group are: S. Tsugane, M. Inoue, T. Sobue, and T. Hanaoka, Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center, Tokyo; J. Ogata, S. Baba, T. Mannami, and A. Okayama, National Cardiovascular Center, Suita; K. Miyakawa, F. Saito, A. Koizumi, Y. Sano, and I. Hashimoto, Iwate Prefectural Ninohe Public Health Center, Ninohe; Y. Miyajima, N. Suzuki, S. Nagasawa, and Y. Furusugi, Akita Prefectural Yokote Public Health Center, Yokote; H. Sanada, Y. Hatayama, F. Kobayashi, H. Uchino, Y. Shirai, T. Kondo, R. Sasaki, Y. Watanabe, and Y. Miyagawa, Nagano Prefectural Saku Public Health Center, Saku; Y. Kishimoto, E. Takara, T. Fukuyama, M. Kinjo, M. Irei, and H. Sakiyama, Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Public Health Center, Okinawa; K. Imoto, H. Yazawa, T. Seo, A. Seiko, F. Ito, and F. Shoji, Katsushika Public Health Center, Tokyo; A. Murata, K. Minato, K. Motegi, and T. Fujieda, Ibaraki Prefectural Mito Public Health Center, Mito; K. Matsui, T. Abe, M. Katagiri, and M. Suzuki, Niigata Prefectural Kashiwazaki and Nagaoka Public Health Center, Kashiwazaki and Nagaoka; M. Doi, A. Terao, and Y. Ishikawa, Kochi Prefectural Chuo-higashi Public Health Center, Tosayamada; H. Sueta, H. Doi, M. Urata, N. Okamoto, and F. Ide, Nagasaki Prefectural Kamigoto Public Health Center, Arikawa; H. Sakiyama, N. Onga, and H. Takaesu, Okinawa Prefectural Miyako Public Health Center, Hirara; F. Horii, I. Asano, H. Yamaguchi, K. Aoki, S. Maruyama, and M. Ichii, Osaka Prefectural Suita Public Health Center, Suita; S. Matsushima and S. Natsukawa, Saku General Hospital, Usuda; M. Akabane, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo; M. Konishi, and K. Okada, Ehime University, Ehime; H. Iso, Osaka University, Suita; Y. Honda and K. Yamagishi, Tsukuba University, Tsukuba; H. Sugimura, Hamamatsu University, Hamamatsu; Y. Tsubono, Tohoku University, Sendai; M. Kabuto, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba; S. Tominaga, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya; M. Iida and W. Ajiki, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease, Osaka; S. Sato, Osaka Medical Center for Health Science and Promotion, Osaka; N. Yasuda, Kochi University, Nankoku; S. Kono, Kyushu University, Fukuoka; K. Suzuki, Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels Akita, Akita; Y. Takashima, Kyorin University, Mitaka; E. Maruyama, Kobe University, Kobe; M. Yamaguchi, Y. Matsumura, S. Sasaki, and S. Watanabe, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo; T. Kadowaki, Tokyo University, Tokyo; Y. Kawaguchi, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo; and H. Shimizu, Sakihae Institute, Gifu.

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Lee, KJ., Inoue, M., Otani, T. et al. Physical activity and risk of colorectal cancer in Japanese men and women: the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective Study. Cancer Causes Control 18, 199–209 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-006-0098-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-006-0098-3

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