By Jason Murphy and Becky Powell, RN, OCN, Community Cancer Center
Most are aware that a healthy diet and daily moderate exercise will lead to better health outcomes such as a decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and hypertension. However, it may surprise some to learn that moderate physical activity can also reduce the risk of cancer by as much as 30 to 40 percent even for some of the most common cancers, such as breast and colon.
According to new estimates by Christine Friedenreich, PhD and Senior Research Epidemiologist at Alberta Health Services-Cancer Care, as many as 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer occurring in the U.S. are linked to lack of exercise.
So what is it about exercise that causes these dramatic numbers? This is the question that many leading cancer researchers are now exploring. The answer may involve C-reactive proteins which are markers linked to inflammation. A recent study in the journal Cancer Prevention Research showed increased physical activity decreased these C-reactive proteins, subsequently causing a drop in inflammation. With lowered inflammation, immune cells release less reactive elements. These reactive elements have been shown to damage DNA, thus reducing their prevalence may prevent the risk of certain cancers. The overall effect of this being that exercise can directly prevent cancer risk by affecting your immune system.
This is only one of the ways that researchers are saying physical activity may reduce the risk of cancer and tumor development. Exercise has also been shown to prevent certain cancers through its role in hormone balance, insulin regulation, and energy balance. It is now recommended by the American Cancer Society that adults engage in 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week to help reduce their risk of cancer.
New findings also suggest that not only can exercise help protect you from cancer, but that leading a sedentary lifestyle may actually be a completely separate risk factor. The idea being that the longer you sit the higher risk of cancer. However, before you decide not to watch that movie marathon this weekend, it is also important to note that the key indicators of cancer risk associated with a sedentary lifestyle are lower when prolonged sitting is interrupted with brief (1-2 minute) breaks.
So what is the takeaway from all this new research? Physical activity improves overall health by reducing the risk of cancer and other problems such as heart disease and diabetes. Even though some risk factors such as age or genetics may not be in your control, by moderately exercising for 30 minutes five times a week or vigorously exercising for 30 minutes three times a week, you can reduce your risk of cancer by as much as 30 to 40 percent. Lastly, always remember to break up long periods of sitting with brief interruptions to further reduce the risk of cancer and ultimately lead a healthier lifestyle.
So what are you waiting for! Take a break from your day to go for a walk, run, or swim and feel good knowing that you are helping to protect yourself from cancer.
To learn more about the Community Cancer Center, go to their website www.cancercenter.org or like them on Facebook.
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