Men who have been diagnosed with asthma or eczema may be at a lower risk of developing certain types of cancer, according to findings published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immmunology.

During a recent trial, a team of investigators examined the results of a previous study that monitored air quality in various work environments. A total of 3,300 men aged 35 to 70 years who had been diagnosed with cancer were observed during this research, and compared to 512 people who were cancer-free.

The researchers discovered that those with a history of asthma were less likely to develop stomach cancer, while men with eczema had a lower risk of suffering from lung cancer.

Marie-Claude Rousseau, co-author of the trial, stated that “asthma and eczema are allergies brought about by a hyper-reactive immune system – a state that might have enabled abnormal cells to have been eliminated more efficiently, thereby reducing the risk of cancer.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that in 2008, an estimated 16.4 million people in the U.S. had developed asthma.