Physically active individuals have a 23% lower risk of any colorectal neoplasia and a 27% lower risk of advanced colorectal neoplasia than their non-active counterparts: Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Jingjing Wang, Liwen Huang, Yang Gao, Yanhong Wang, Shanquan Chen, Junjie Huang, Wenjing Zheng, Pingping Bao, Yangming Gong, Yanfeng Zhang, Mei Wang*, Martin Chi Sang Wong*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Few studies have examined the associations between physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and risk of colorectal neoplasia (CN). Methods: We systematically searched Medline, Embase, PsyInfo, Cochrane and other sources from their inception to 30 September 2018 for cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies that evaluated these associations in asymptomatic, average-risk subjects. Random-effect models were used to estimate relative risks (RRs) of any-type CN, advanced CN, and non-advanced CN, respectively, in individuals with the highest versus the lowest level of PA and SB. Dose-response analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted. The I2 statistic was used to examine heterogeneity among studies. Results: We identified 32 observational studies, including 17 cross-sectional studies, 10 case-control studies and five longitudinal studies. PA (highest vs lowest) was inversely associated with risk for any-type CN (n=23 studies) and advanced CN (n=15 studies), with a RR of 0.77 (95% CI=0.71 to 0.83, I2=57.5%) and 0.73 (95% CI=0.63 to 0.82, I2=45.5%), respectively. There was no association between PA and non-advanced CN (n=5 studies). There was an as association between PA and any-type CN in both sexes, and also for the distal colon. We found no dose-response relationship between PA and any-type or advanced CN. Based on three studies identified, SB time (longest vs shortest) was associated with an increased risk of advanced CN (RR=1.24, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.49, I2=14.4%). No publication bias was detected by Begg's test. Conclusion: We report a 23% lower relative risk of any type of CN and a 27% lower risk of advanced CN in people with the highest level of PA compared with those in the lowest.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)582-591
Number of pages10
JournalBritish Journal of Sports Medicine
Volume54
Issue number10
Early online date11 Jul 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 May 2020

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
  • Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation

User-Defined Keywords

  • association
  • colorectal cancer
  • physical activity
  • risk factor
  • sedentary behaviour

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