Associations between physical activity and comorbidities in Korean cancer survivors

To examine the associations between physical activity, metabolic risk factors, and comorbidities in korean cancer survivors. we used multiple cross-sectional data sets from the 2007–2013 korean national health and nutrition examination surveys (knhanes) that included 1225 cancer survivors. physical activity and comorbidities were self-reported. metabolic risk factors were measured via blood analyses and included fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. the sample was 38.4% male with a mean age of 59.9 ± 12.4 years. the most common cancers were stomach (22.5%), cervical (14.6%), breast (14.4%), and colorectal (11.8%). cancer survivors meeting aerobic physical activity guidelines, compared to those completely inactive, had significantly lower fasting glucose (p = .001), hba1c (p = .006), and systolic blood pressure (p = .001), and significantly lower risks of hypertension (odds ratio [or] = 0.55, 95% confidential interval [ci] = 0.32 to 0.93), diabetes (or = 0.64, 95% ci = 0.43 to 0.95), and arthritis (or = 0.64, 95% ci = 0.41 to 0.99). moreover, cancer survivors meeting strength exercise guidelines, compared to those not meeting guidelines, had significantly lower levels of fasting glucose (p = .001), hba1c (p < .001), and total cholesterol (p = .031), and significantly lower risks of arthritis (or = 0.42, 95% ci = 0.25 to 0.85) and back pain (or = 0.50, 95% ci = 0.30 to 0.83). aerobic physical activity and strength exercise were significantly associated with lower risks of metabolic disturbances and comorbidities in korean cancer survivors. cancer survivors should engage in at least 150 min/week of aerobic exercise and at least 2 days/week of strength exercise to lower their risk of metabolic disturbances and comorbidities.