361 Exercise and Cancer [14 March 2016]

Among its many other benefits, exercise is an important part of cancer treatment and prevention. Research has consistently shown that regular exercise reduces your risk of getting cancer, improves your chance of recovering from cancer, and helps prevent cancer from recurring. Here are a few examples:

A 2003 review of epidemiologic studies, published in Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 35(11), found that physical activity reduced the risk of colon cancer by 30-40% and of breast cancer by 20-30%.

A 2005 Harvard study found that 3 to 5 hours a week of moderate exercise reduced the risk of death by about half for breast cancer patients. For cancer patients, exercise also reduces the side effects of conventional cancer treatment, shortens hospital stays, reduces fatigue and generally improves quality of life.

A news release from August 2012 published in Medical News Today reported that exercise has been found to reduce recurrence of cancer by up to 50%.

When and how much exercise is required? Exercise seems to have a dose-response relation to cancer meaning the more you exercise, the lower your risk of cancer. In one study 30 to 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous exercise was required to reduce breast cancer risk. But any amount is better than none, and of course you have to work within your body’s ability.

Exercising when younger reduces your risk of cancer when you are older. Regular activity in teen years significantly lowered risk of women at age 40-70 from dying of cancer (and of all-cause mortality). Men over 65 who had kept fit in middle age reduced their risk of lung cancer by 55% and colon cancer by 44%, and reduced their risk of dying from lung, bowel and prostate cancer by 32%.

So how does exercise help prevent and fight cancer? A mouse study published in Cell Metabolism in March 2016 found that exercise activated NK killer cells resulting in a 50% reduction in tumor growth. Exercise reduces insulin resistance which in turn reduces glucose available for cancer cells. But possibly the most important way that exercise prevents and fights cancer is by increasing both the function and number of mitochondria. As I discussed in the last three columns, mitochondrial dysfunction appears to be the driving force behind all cancers.

Source: mercola.com Exercise Helps Shrink Tumors... March 4, 2016.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.