By Administrator at 9 Aug 2016, 12:34 PM

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have discovered yet another benefit of exercise: a decreased risk of 13 types of cancer. For seven of those types, exercising reduced cancer risk by 20 percent or more among the most active participants compared to the least active.

Although previous studies have measured how physical activity affects cancer risks, often there aren’t enough study participants to determine a conclusive result. The current study was unique in that it used data from 1.44 million people, aged from 19 to 98 years, and studied over the course of 11 years. Over this time period, researchers studied a wide range of cancers, including rare malignancies.

It takes a surprisingly achievable amount of exercise to gain these impressive cancer-preventive benefits. The median level of activity in the study was about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, although leisure-time physical activity was defined simply as exercise done at one’s own discretion.

Better still, the findings likely apply to many different populations. Steven C. Moore, Ph.D. of NCI and study co-author, pointed out this finding in a statement:

“Our results support that these associations are broadly generalizable to different populations, including people who are overweight or obese, or those with a history of smoking. Health care professionals counseling inactive adults should promote physical activity as a component of a healthy lifestyle and cancer prevention."

The study revealed that leisure-time physical activity (walking, running, swimming) reduced the risk of colon, breast, endometrial, liver, kidney, myeloid leukemia, and lung cancer (for current and former smokers only). The risk of head, neck, rectum, and bladder cancers was also reduced, although not as much.

Physical activity likely reduces cancer risk via multiple mechanisms, including by altering metabolic pathways involved in cancer growth, namely:

• Sex steroids (estrogens and androgens)
• Insulin and insulin-like growth factors
• Proteins involved with insulin metabolism and inflammation

Exercise may also lower cancer risk by altering:

• Inflammation
• Immune function
• Oxidative stress
• Reducing the amount of time it takes waste to pass through your gastrointestinal tract (for colon cancer)

 
This study could have a significant impact on future cancer rates if more people would heed its advice. According to study co-author Alpa V. Patel, Ph.D. from the American Cancer Society:

"For years, we've had substantial evidence supporting a role for physical activity in three leading cancers: colon, breast, and endometrial cancers, which together account for nearly one in four cancers in the United States.

This study linking physical activity to 10 additional cancers shows its impact may be even more relevant, and that physical activity has far reaching value for cancer prevention."

Sources:
JAMA Internal Medicine June, 2016
National Cancer Institute July 25, 2016

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