Heart disease, cancer, diabetes.
No one wants to hear that diagnosis and unfortunately men hear it more often than women. We look at how exercise can help prevent and manage these three conditions.
We know the value of exercise. It’s like a magic pill for keeping us healthy and happy. For men it’s particularly so, as it helps combat three major diseases that affect men more than women.
1. Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Often called heart disease, CVD includes diseases and conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, a common cause of heart attack.
CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide. In Australia it affects around 40 per cent more men than women, with men about twice as likely as women to have a heart attack, according to the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW).
How does exercise help?
Like every other muscle in your body, your heart will benefit from exercise, becoming slower but stronger. By moving more and working your heart a little harder, you can cut your risk of heart disease by a third, says the Heart Foundation. Even a single bout of exercise may protect your heart right away, according to a 2017 article in JAMA Cardiology.
Exercising regularly will improve blood circulation, and helps manage your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose – all risk factors for heart disease.
It may help improve your sleep too. That’s good news for your heart, as poor sleep is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease.
If you have depression or anxiety, moving more will help reduce the incidence and severity of your symptoms. That’s another big tick for your heart, as depression and anxiety are also known CVD risk factors. A study from the American College of Cardiology found regular exercise reduced the adverse cardiovascular consequences of depression.
2. Diabetes
Every five minutes someone in Australia is diagnosed with diabetes. If you have diabetes it means your blood sugar is too high, either because your body doesn’t produce enough of the hormone insulin, or your cells don’t respond well to the insulin you do produce. Insulin allows your body’s cells to take up glucose for energy.
Of the two types of diabetes (type 1 and type 2), type 2 is the most common and affects more men than women – 6.1 per cent of men compared to 4.6 per cent of women, says the AIHW.
How does exercise help?
Diet and lifestyle are key to preventing and managing type 2 diabetes. Exercise is particularly effective at both.
Exercise lowers blood glucose levels and boosts your body’s sensitivity to insulin. Regular physical activity will also improve your fitness and strength, which helps insulin work more effectively.
If you have diabetes, find ways to do both aerobic and resistance exercise, as both are equally good at lowering your blood glucose levels. Increasing your muscle mass with resistance and strength work allows your muscles to take up more glucose from your blood. You can do resistance exercises with your own body weight, light hand weights, resistance bands or using various machines at the gym.
The timing of your exercise sessions matters too. Research shows that if you exercise for 10 minutes immediately after eating, your blood glucose levels could be up to 5mmol/L lower than if you sat on the couch watching TV.
3. Cancer
Men get cancer more often than women, says Cancer Council Australia, and they die at higher rates from cancers that can be prevented. The most common cancers in men are prostate, skin, lung and bowel. Men are also about three times more likely than women to develop cancers in the mouth, nose and throat.
How does exercise help?
There are different risk factors for different cancers. Quit smoking to reduce your risk of lung cancer; slip, slop and slap to protect yourself from skin cancer. So where does exercise fit in?
A 2016 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that leisure-time physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of 13 cancers, including cancer of the colon, liver, stomach, kidney, head and neck, rectum, bladder and lung (in current and former smokers).
Researchers are still investigating how physical activity reduces cancer risk, says Cancer Council, but there are several likely reasons:
- When you are active, your body produces less insulin and insulin-like growth factors, which promote the growth of cancer cells.
- Physical activity may help reduce different hormone levels that are linked to cancer.
- For bowel cancer, exercise helps move waste through the bowel faster, limiting the time harmful compounds stay in contact with your bowel lining.
Regular physical activity is also recommended as soon as possible after cancer diagnosis and treatment, depending on your specific case.
Need extra information?
Australian Men’s Health Forum: people and organisations working together to tackle the social factors that shape men’s and boys’ health. Visit: www.amhf.org.au
Head to Health – Men: provided by the Australian Department of Health, a collection of digital mental health services and phone services, as well as a range of information resources. Visit: headtohealth.gov.au/supporting-yourself/support-for/men
Healthy Male: a national organisation that provides easy access to the latest research on male reproductive and sexual health. Visit: healthymale.org.au
What’s enough exercise?
Australian guidelines recommend that adults (aged 18-64) should be active on most days, preferably every day.
Each week, adults should do either:
- 5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity, such as a brisk walk, golf, mowing the lawn, cycling, or swimming OR
- 25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity such as jogging, fast cycling, playing soccer or football, or hiking up a hill.
Include muscle-strengthening activities as part of your daily workout on at least two days each week. These include lifting weights, using weight machines at the gym, light weights or resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises.
Support Movember this November
Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men’s health. By 2030 it aims to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%. Visit au.movember.com to find out how you can support the fundraising.
This article was previously published in the Well at Work Newsletter