PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY AND COLON CANCER - A CASE-REFERENT STUDY IN STOCKHOLM

A population‐based case‐referent study on physical activity (during working and recreational hours) and colon cancer was performed in Stockholm in 1986‐1988. The study included 1,081 subjects. Low physical activity was associated with an excess risk of colon (but not rectum) cancer for both men and women, showing a dose‐response relationship with decreasing levels of physical activity. The effect was seen in the left colon (relative risk = 3.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.5–7.0) rather than in the right colon (relative risk =1.1, 0.5–2.5). These results persisted after adjustment for year of birth, gender, body mass, intake of total energy, protein, total fat, dietary fibre, and browned meat surface. Copyright © 1990 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company