Diet and exercise both play an integral part in cancer prevention. We know that obesity and physical inactivity increase your risk for various forms of cancer, yet both factors are within our reach to change.
Studies have demonstrated how staying physically active regularly along with enjoying a nutritious diet significantly reduce cancer risks; perhaps because being inactive leads to higher obesity risks which increases blood pressure and cholesterol levels which in turn raise cancer risks further.
Regular exercise may boost immunity
Regular exercise also has been found to boost immunity, leading to lower cancer risks and helping survivors cope with and recover from treatment-induced side effects faster, as well as reduce their likelihood of cancer recurrence post diagnosis. This can provide enormous benefit in terms of both coping with cancer treatments as well as decreasing cancer recurrence rates after diagnosis.
New research suggests that just two minutes of vigorous physical exercise each day can make a substantial impactful difference in cancer risk. The findings come from observational studies following thousands of participants over decades; those who engaged in regular fitness regimens had lower instances of certain cancers such as colorectal, lung, breast, bladder and esophageal cancers.
21 people were tracked
MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers tracked 21 people with Lynch syndrome, a genetic predisposition to colon cancer, for eight years. They observed that those who were highly fit – defined as running fast, climbing stairs quickly, playing with their kids frequently and being physically active overall – had significantly decreased risks of colon cancer than sedentary individuals. According to researchers at MD Anderson, exercise helps protect against colon cancer as it promotes weight loss, increases fiber consumption and strengthens natural killer cells that fight off cancerous cells.
Researchers conducted an experiment using mice and discovered that when given melanoma cancer cells, those engaging in regular aerobic exercise developed 72% fewer metastatic tumors – likely because exercise induces the release of prostaglandins which enhance the body’s natural capacity to detect and destroy cancerous cells.
Studies involving millions of participants, and comprising hundreds of epidemiologic studies, have consistently demonstrated that engaging in physical activities such as walking or swimming for at least 30 minutes daily for at least six months provides significant protection from cancer. This has been supported by a 2019 systematic review encompassing 45 studies covering several million people – this resulted in 10-20 percent decreased risks for breast, colorectal, postmenopausal uterine cancer as well as kidney, ovarian endometrial prostate cancers.
Try doing something with less impact on your joints like yoga
Try yoga just like todays celebrities!
At first, making the shift from sedentary to active lifestyle can take time and motivation; but once you find an activity you enjoy enough to commit to long term, its health benefits will quickly outweigh any obstacles along the way.