ReviewCureus2025
A Systematic Review of Whether Physical Activity Prevents Colorectal Cancer in Older Adults.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Protective Effects of Plant-Based Diets Against Colorectal Carcinogenesis via Modulation of Key Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms: A Comprehensive Review of Evidence.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAn ageing population and an increasing cancer incidence are both public health challenges. Previous literature has established an association between physical activity (PA) and a decreased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, studies pertaining to older adults are limited.
objectiveThis systematic review aims to investigate whether PA prevents CRC in adults aged ≥65 years. The secondary objective is to examine whether CRC risk varies with type, intensity, and/or frequency of PA.
methodsA systematic review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to February 2025. Reference lists of previous studies were also reviewed. Eligible studies included adults aged ≥65 years, assessed the impact of PA on CRC diagnosis, reported empirical outcome data, and were published in English. Studies involving non-human participants or lacking age-specific outcomes were excluded. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). A narrative synthesis was conducted to analyse the included studies.
resultsThe search identified 3,604 papers, of which three studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, there was no consistent association between PA and CRC risk in older adults. One study found no association, a second suggested PA was protective at the highest activity levels, while a third indicated high levels of PA may be harmful. There was also insufficient data to draw any conclusion regarding the secondary outcome. LIMITATIONS: This review was limited by the small number of eligible studies (n = 3) and heterogeneity in activity types and frequency, as well as study durations, which prevented direct comparison. The limited number of studies may reflect the underrepresentation of older adults in research, often due to comorbidities and lower participation rates in this population. Conclusion: Evidence on whether PA prevents CRC in older adults remains inconclusive. Further research focusing on PA type, intensity, and/or frequency is needed to guide age-appropriate public health recommendations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.