For patients who were recurrence-free six months after completing chemotherapy, higher levels of physical activity were linked to a lower risk of cancer recurrence and mortality. The most consistent and largest number of studies looking at the links between exercise and cancer recurrence and overall survival have been reported for patients with breast and colorectal cancer, though increasingly other cancer types are also being studied. Then there’s the impact of exercise on body weight. Five days a week for one year, the participants could do any type of aerobic activity they wanted. There have been a number of studies conducted which support the theory that exercise can help prevent breast cancer. Exercise Can Help Prevent Breast Cancer. The results held after adjusting for other breast cancer risk factors. Being active helps move food through our bodies. One theory is that physical activity reduces “transit time” for waste moving through your large intestine, which lessens the amount of time the mucosa (the colon’s lining) is exposed to potential carcinogens, such as bile acids. Oestrogen and insulin are both hormones. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. Researchers have found that physical activity can lower the risk of developing 13 different kinds of cancer, including three big ones: breast, colorectal, and endometrial. Exercise appeared to benefit women, regardless of age. Truth: No one wants to get cancer. Physical activity after a colorectal cancer diagnosis is also linked to a lower risk of recurrence and increased overall survival, according to three studies led by Jeffrey Meyerhardt, MD, MPH, clinical director of Dana-Farber’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Center and Douglas Gray Woodruff Chair in Colorectal Cancer Research. CDC twenty four seven. The evidence linking regular physical activity with a decreased risk of developing colorectal cancer is compelling and consistent. The researchers don't promise exercise will prevent breast cancer, or blame breast cancer on a lack of exercise. Both groups of women repeated the psychological and physical tests at the end of the 12-week program and again six months later. Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. But, they do report exercise appeared to have benefits in protecting against cancer for women of all ages. A study published in the British Journal of Cancer found that heavier women who reported at least three hours a week of strenuous physical activity at the beginning of the study had a 24 percent lower risk of developing endometrial cancer over the next 12 years, compared with those who reported less than one-half hour per week of exercise. The researchers' review of evidence found that physical activity had the strongest reported effect on reducing the risk of breast cancer recurring and dying from breast cancer. The latest study showed that women who exercised 10 to 19 hours per week or two hours a day for five days could reduce their breast cancer risk by 30 percent. A smaller number of studies have suggested that exercise can also benefit men with prostate cancer. But while you can’t control certain risk factors, like bad luck and genetics, there are things you can do to lower your odds. The study doesn't prove that exercise single-handedly prevented breast cancer or show how exercise may lower breast cancer risk. The study by Sprague, assistant professor Amy Trentham-Dietz, PhD, also of the Carbone cancer center, and others, appears in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. This is protective because higher levels of estrogen raise breast cancer risk. From mammograms to living after treatment. Remember: Exercise is powerful, but it can only do so much. Being very active can reduce levels of insulin and help prevent cancer. That’s especially important, since many studies have shown that being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer, according to Friedenreich. Doing these effective exercises will indubitably serve to prevent the disease that … Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Hodgkin Lymphoma: What's the Difference? Can You Exercise Safely If You Have Heart Disease? The women were 20-69 years old, roughly split between women 49 and under, those in their 50s, and those in their 60s. A review of the effect of lifestyle factors on breast cancer mortality found that physical activity is consistently linked to a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence. A study published in April 2017 in the journal Oncotarget found that recreational runners (the researchers looked at healthy, middle-aged men) had significantly reduced levels of bile acids in their blood, particularly those acids deemed carcinogenic. Physical Activity and the Risk of Cancer. Many factors over the course of a lifetime can influence your breast cancer risk. Learn more about physical activity for people with cancer, Kyu HH, Bachman VF, Alexander LT, et al. Physical activity for cancer survivors : meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. And there are more steps you can take to keep cancer at bay. This means that doing either moderate-duration or high-duration exercise can still reduce your risk of breast cancer. Does this mean that there are no benefits to fitting in longer runs or longer training? Studies Show Exercise May Lower Risk and Help Those With Breast Cancer Cope. News release, BMJ. One group participated in a 12-week group exercise program. Can Gaiters Really Help Stop the Spread of COVID? 2011;344:1-14. © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. During the 40-minute phone interview, the women noted whether they had participated in the following activities at some point in their lives since age 14: jogging/running, bicycling, calisthenics/aerobics/dance, racquet sports, swimming, walking/hiking for exercise, or other strenuous individual or team activities. So being active can help prevent bowel cancer by reducing the levels of inflammation. The women in the exercise group met twice weekly for 45-minute exercise classes. How we test gear. Then there’s the impact of exercise on body weight. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. (It’s worth noting that some biomarkers—like estrogen and insulin—stayed the same because they are already low in postmenopausal women. Oestrogen could encourage cells in the breast to divide more often. A third study, involving women with stage I to III colorectal cancer, showed that women who were the most physically active had significantly reduced odds of recurrence and death from any cause than patients who were more sedentary. Being active can affect the levels of some hormones in our body. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Copyright 2020 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 Call us: 617-632-3000. physical activity is consistently linked to a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence. Exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have to modify cancer risk. The gist of the guidance, published in three papers this week, is that exercise can contribute to the prevention of bladder, breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, stomach, and uterine cancer. More and more research is showing that exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence) if you've been diagnosed, as well as reducing the risk of developing breast cancer if you’ve never been diagnosed. Those in the “moderate” group worked out for 30 minutes a day and those in the “high” group worked out for one hour a day. They studied 203 women with early-stage breast cancer who were 51 years old, on average, and hadn't been exercising. COVID-19 Vaccines: Updates You Need to Know, Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter, Everyday Habits to Lower Breast Cancer Risk, Advances in Cancer Prevention and Screening, Managing the Visual Side-Effects of Breast Cancer. All rights reserved. Here’s what it found. Exercise lowers levels of estrogen circulating in the blood. The other group wasn't asked to exercise. The takeaway, according to Friedenreich, is that while getting in 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of aerobic activity per week is already fantastic—and will help reduce your risk of getting breast cancer—hitting that weekly 300-minute mark (5 hours) offers even more of a benefit. Exercise may help prevent breast cancer, and help those who do get it cope, two new studies show. Exercising, even at a moderate level, is one thing cancer survivors can do to lower the odds of cancer recurrence. World Cancer Research Fund International; 2018. https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/exposures/physical-activity. If you’re doing a lot of activity it can reduce the levels of oestrogen, helping to prevent breast cancer. Even if they’re just a couple of quick miles, they’ll add up.