Adenomatous polyp recurrence and physical activity in the Polyp Prevention Trial (United States)

Objective: To examine prospectively the association between physical activity and adenomatous polyp recurrence. Methods: Information on past year total physical activity was collected annually through an interview-administered questionnaire from the 1905 men and women enrolled in a randomized dietary intervention study, the Polyp Prevention Trial. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between physical activity and polyp recurrence in up to three years of follow-up from baseline colonoscopy. Results: There were no significant associations between moderate, vigorous, or total physical activity at the start of the trial and overall polyp recurrence in either men or women. Participants who reported consistent vigorous activity throughout the trial period had no significantly reduced risk of polyp recurrence compared to those who reported consistent sedentary activity (OR = 0.8, CI = 0.5-1.1). Consistent vigorous activity was also not significantly associated with either advanced or multiple polyps, nor with polyp recurrence at any specific anatomical location in the large bowel. Conclusions: These prospective data suggest that recent physical activity is not associated with polyp recurrence in a three-year period.