Most people see exercise as a weight management strategy; some see it as a way to promote fitness. Few, however, are aware that exercise can dramatically reduce the risk of cancer. In fact, exercise is an economical and viable insurance against most cancers, specifically those of the colon and breast.
Why? Exercise triggers anticancer effects by regulating the immune functions of the body.
Colon Cancer
A study recently completed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University revealed that people who exercised the most reduced their risk of developing colon cancer by 24 percent. The most compelling evidence was that a perceptible reduction in the risk was associated with physical activity – no matter how the activity was measured. This consistency suggests that the positive association between exercise and colon cancer was strong and valid.
However, there is evidence suggesting that sleep can affect the benefits of exercise. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that lack of sleep seems to cancel out the positive effects of exercise. Among women 65 and older and in the highest range of physical activity expenditure, getting less than 7 hours of sleep increased overall cancer risk.
Breast Cancer
A study involving nearly 65,000 women between the ages of 12 and 35 found that those who were physically active had a 23 percent reduction in pre-menopausal breast cancer. The strongest demonstration of lowered breast cancer risk came from those in the 12-22 age group who were most physically active.
Even exercise after menopause provided a measure of protection. In a study involving about 3500 breast cancer patients and almost 6800 healthy women between 50 and 74 years, results showed that the most physically active participants reduced the risk of cancer by one third.
The study also found that the positive effects seen were independent of weight gain, total energy intake or body mass index, suggesting that the immunity effects were produced through hormone mechanisms rather than through reduction in body fat.
Immunity
What happens to the body when it moves? It produces a fully resonant machine that charges the immune functions.
- Exercise increases the efficiency of the cardiovascular system; it lowers blood pressure.
- It reduces adipose tissue or the fatty layers where carcinogenic toxins are stored.
- Exercise that triggers profuse sweating like squash or running detoxifies the body.
- It regulates the body’s hormonal balance by reducing excessive amounts of estrogen and testosterone that stimulate the growth of tumor cells.
- By reducing blood sugar levels, exercise regulates the secretion of insulin and IGF (insulin like growth factors); cancer feeds on sugar.
- It decreases the risk of tissue inflammation and spread of tumors.
- It functions like meditation protecting the immune system from stress.
Exercise is the best insurance protection one can get against cancer, especially colon and breast cancer.
Source:
- David Servan-Schreiber M.D. Ph.D. Anticancer: A New Way of Life. New York: Viking: 2008.
Mary Desaulniers - I am a retired teacher and grandmother looking forward to the next 30 or more years with great relish and enthusiasm. My passions are ...
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