Convincing evidence suggests that exercise is an essential element to cancer care and prevention by firstly reducing the risk of developing cancer, improving the chances of successful recuperation, and decreasing the risk of the recurrence. Studies revealed that the longer an individual exercises, the more prominent the benefits. Studies indicate that both men and women who exercise during their early years of life have a lower risk of cancer later in life.
Just like most things in life, physical exercise must also be done in moderation. Each individual must find their own sweet spot as too much exercise can cause its own set of problems, but most individuals are far from being at risk for this problem. According to findings published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, in excess of one hundred epidemiologic studies on the relationship of physical activity and cancer prevention have been published. The authors of these findings all note that the data is obvious in showing that physically active men and women have about a thirty to forty percent reduction in the chances of acquiring colon cancer, compared with inactive individuals. In relation to breast cancer, there is convincingly clear evidence that physically active women have about a twenty to thirty percent reduction in risk, compared with inactive women. It also appears that thirty to sixty minutes of moderate to high intensity physical exercise is required to reduce the risk of breast cancer and that there is most probably a dose response relationship. Physical exercise for effective cancer prevention While the precise risk reduction often varies from study to study, the findings consistently indicate that exercise reduces the risk of various types of different cancers, and often to a considerable degree. Should you ever find yourself inflicted with cancer, do not fall for the old myth that rest and recuperation is the best medicine. On the contrary, physical exercise has been shown to drastically boost the chances of a speedy recovery and survival. A Harvard study discovered that breast cancer patients who exercised moderately for at least three to five hours per week had significantly lowered their odds of dying by about half, compared to sedentary patients. In fact, it seems that any measurable amount of weekly exercise increased the patient's odds of surviving to some degree, and this benefit remained constant irrespective of whether women were diagnosed early or after the cancer had spread. Physical exercise has also been shown to reduce the side effects of traditional cancer therapy, and drastically improve the cancer patient’s quality of life. A recent investigation of sixteen studies found that cancer patients allocated to a regular exercise program consistently displayed a better quality of life compared to those in the sedentary control group. The group participating in a regular exercise program displayed higher self esteem, less fatigue, reduced length of hospital time, and fewer doctor’s consultations. Many cancer organisations now encourage regular exercise coupled with a nutritional balanced diet as part of the standard cancer care, although this information is still slowly being filtered down into general oncology. Regular activity also reduces the odds of cancer reoccurring once the patient has successfully recuperated. A recent study found that colon and breast cancer patients who exercised regularly had about half the recurrence rate compared to non exercising patients. Regular exercise combats cancer in various ways A study in the British Medical Journal that was exploring the relationship between exercise and cancer discovered that regular exercise affects several biological functions that may directly influence the risk of cancer, such as changes in the balance of energy, changes in immune function, changes in antioxidant defence, DNA repair, and hormone levels. There is not just one system responsible for its cancer fighting effects, there are many, beginning with the fact that regular exercise decreases the insulin resistance which is an intensely successful strategy to reduce the risk of cancer. By constructing a low sugar environment, you are in affect strongly discouraging the growth and spread of cancer cells. This is also the reason why a diet high in fat tends to discourage cancer. A valuable point to remember is that while normal cells can either use glucose or ketones derived from fat as fuel, cancerous cells lack this metabolic ability and flexibility, and require only glucose to survive and multiply. Cease the supply of glucose fuel, and you successfully starve the cancer cells. Regular exercise lowers the blood sugar levels and regulates the insulin sensitivity thereby essentially creating an environment that is inhospitable for cancer growth. Exercise assists in shedding excess fat from the body and provides a means to maintain a healthy weight, this is especially true for high intensity interval training (HIIT). Having excess weight on the body is a major risk factor, and obesity is accountable for an estimated five hundred thousand cancer cases worldwide each and every year. The link between obesity and cancer is mainly hormone driven, as fat cells produce excess oestrogen. This also explains why exercising during childhood reduces the lifetime risk of cancer and why obese children would be at a considerably higher risk of cancer in their adult years. Physical activity improves circulation, driving more oxygen into your tissues, and circulating immune cells throughout the body. By increasing blood flow to the liver, it also helps the body detoxify potentially harmful substances, including excess oestrogen that may bring about oestrogen sensitive cancers. Comments are closed.
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