Physical activity and cause-specific mortality in the Whitehall study

A prospective cohort study of London civil servants was used to examine the relation of physical activity to various causes of death. 6.702 men aged 40-64y who participated in a baseline examination between 19 69 and 1970 were followed up for 25y during which time there were 2859 deat hs. The association of two measures of physical activity (leisure time acti vity and usual walking pace) with cause-specific mortality was examined. Wa lking pace demonstrated inverse relations with mortality from all-causes, c oronary heart disease (CHD), other cardiovascular disease (CVD), all cancer s, respiratory disease, colorectal cancer and haematopoietic cancer followi ng adjustment fur risk factors which included age, employment grade, smokin g, body mass index, and forced expiratory volume (P [trend] < 0.05 for all) . In analyses restricted to men without disease at entry, walking pace reta ined inverse associations with all-cause, CHD. other cardiovascular disease . and haematopoietic cancer mortality (P [trend] < 0.05 for all). Leisure t ime activity was also inversely associated with mortality from all-causes, CHD, other CVD, and all-cancers following adjustment for risk factors (P [t rend] < 0.05 for all). Eliminating deaths in the first 5 and 10y of follow- up did not greatly alter these associations. It is concluded that physical activity may confer protection against death due to some cancers, in additi on to reducing cardiovascular disease risk.