… Continued …
First, again the finding in this research is not final yet. Even many experts (including some researchers in that research) point out that the result is not causality, but only an association. More studies such as randomized controlled trials are required to confirm the link between cycling and the risk of prostate cancer.
Overall, there are still lots of limitations of the research that should be addressed before eventually the conclusion of the link can be confirmed. For instance, the research was internet-based so thus there was no physical examination for the data of further diagnosis.
And another major line issue, among about 5.282 men involved in the study, there were only about 42 participants reported with prostate cancer. This number is still small and not strong enough to confirm the connection between cycling and prostate cancer.
So, what is the bottom line?
In general, most experts still believe that the advantages of cycling far outweigh the potential risks (such as decreased male fertility or might be a small contribution to trigger prostate cancer).
If you do believe you can get lots of benefits from bicycling, you can keep it. But if you are concern to your fertility, it is better to go bike in moderation or don’t do it too much (particularly true if you are trying to have a baby with your partner).
It can be much better if you use a bicycle with comfort seat (saddle). The manufactures realize that cycling with hard and poorly seat may affect male fertility. For this reason, they had tried to make better and friendlier seats.
- http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2011/01001/Do_the_Health_Benefits_of_Cycling_Outweigh_the.205.aspx
- http://www.deakin.edu.au/travelsmart/docs/health-benefits-cycling-fact-sheet.pdf
- http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthlibrary/related/doc.php?type=6&id=689692