Veterans' racing is more popular than ever in Ireland and men in their 40s and 50s are taking up leisure cycling in greater numbers than ever. But the biggest ever study of cyclists' health has found a new link between the sport and prostate cancer in men 50 years or older (Photo: www.blackumbrella.ie)
Middle aged men who cycle nine hours per week or more are up to five times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, a new study of over 5,000 men has found.
However, the study has debunked the myth the cycling causes erectile dysfunction or infertility.
The results of the research are surprising because while previous medical studies have suggested an increased chance of testicular cancer for men who cycle regularly, the link with prostate cancer has never been made.
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The research team at University College Leeds tested 5,200 male cyclists, of which some 2,000 were 50 years or older.
It found that of the 2,000 men aged 50 years or older who were tested and who cycled for nine hours a week or more, prostate cancer was five times more prevalent.
The researchers said the results did not necessarily mean cycling caused prostate cancer, but that cyclists were simply more likely to get it.
They suggested keen cyclists were more health conscious than the rest of the population and this may mean they were more likely to have it diagnosed.
However, the research found that cyclists did not visit their doctor more regularly than the average man.
The researchers said they could not rule out the possibility that increased pressure on the prostate when cycling increased the chances of developing the condition.
However, they stressed the number of men tested who were aged 50 years or older and who cycled nine hours per week or more was small in the context of the overall 5,200-cyclist study group.
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Dr Mark Hamer of the Department of Epidemiology University College Leeds said the results “are not straightforward”.
“It may well be these men are more health aware and therefore more likely to get a diagnosis.
“Those who are cycling the most did not make up a huge sample so more research is needed.
“We are talking about very keen cyclists who are on their bikes for nine hours a week – not people who are just commuting to work.”
He added it was important to point out cycling had significant health benefits in reducing diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
The research paper has been published in the Journal of Men’s Health and states: “The findings of this study demonstrated a direct relationship between risk of prostate cancer and cycling volume in cyclists aged over 50 years.
“This association was statistically significant after controlling for key confounding variables, including age.
“In addition, there was no association between cycling volume and primary care contact, suggesting that these findings are not simply because of increased health awareness.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate an association between prostate cancer and cycling, so there are no studies hypothesizing a pathophysiological mechanism for such a link.’
“Increased physical activity and cycling in the population may herald radical improvements in the mortality and morbidity burden.”
What exactly is prostate cancer?
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