Research
Adherence
High levels of physical activity are associated with a 27% increased risk of melanoma, likely due to increased outdoor sun exposure rather than the activity itself.
If you exercise outdoors, prioritize sun safety. Use sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and seek shade when possible to mitigate the increased risk of melanoma associated with outdoor physical activity.
GoodQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
In the pooled analysis, a high level of physical activity was associated with a 27% greater risk of melanoma relative to low physical activity... Given the unequivocal evidence for sun exposure as a cause of melanoma, it is likely that this association is attributable to the greater amount of time that physically active people spend outdoors
Why this rating
Strong consistency in pooled analysis, but likely confounded by sun exposure.
Source
American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable Report on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Cancer Prevention and Control
Alpa V. Patel et al. · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2019
DOI 10.1249/mss.0000000000002117
narrative_reviewCited 849×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →