Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Exercise Your Way to a Healthier Colon
What can you do to prevent colon cancer? Studies show that certain behaviors are associated with colon cancer. For example, the risk of developing colon cancer increases if you are physically inactive, obese, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, or eat a diet high in red or processed meat, refined grains, and fats, especially those from animal sources. A reader asks: I'd like to make some lifestyle changes to reduce my risk of colorectal cancer. Will exercise help? Johns Hopkins responds …
Quite possibly. A number of studies suggest that exercise can reduce the risk of both colon and rectal cancers. For example, findings from a recent study of more than 300,000 people reported in Cancer Causes & Control suggest that men who engage in exercise or sports at least five times a week are less likely to develop colon or rectal cancer than men who rarely or never exercise. The findings for women were similar. In addition, they found that the more time spent in sedentary activities, the more likely a person was to develop colon cancer.
Why exercise might reduce colon cancer risk isn't well understood. It may be because exercise enhances the immune system or because it reduces levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factors, all of which have been associated with colon cancer risk. The reason why exercise might reduce rectal cancer risk remains even less clear.
Bottom line: Nevertheless, the message to get moving is clear -- and it's never too late to start. Another finding from this study suggests that what matters most is not the exercise you may have done in your teens or 20s but what you do right now. And remember, the exercise doesn't have to be done at the gym or while playing a sport. Increasing your daily level of activity by regularly walking instead of driving or watching TV or by climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator is also likely to help.
Posted in Colon Cancer on February 23, 2010
Reviewed January 2011
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer
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