AUDIO:
Consistent exercise is associated with a lower risk of dying
from colon cancer, according to a new study led by researchers at
the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of
Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The study is
among the first to show that physical activity can make the disease
less deadly.
The Washington University researchers worked with colleagues
from the American Cancer Society and examined data from the
American Cancer Society Prevention Study II (CPS II) to look at
whether changes in physical activity influenced either the
incidence of colon cancer diagnosis or the risk of death from the
disease.
The CPS II study included more than 150,000 men and women. To
determine how exercise affected colon cancer, the researchers
compared their levels of physical activity between 1982 and 1997,
and linked those activity levels both to the number of colon cancer
diagnoses between 1998 and 2005, and to the number of colon cancer
deaths that occurred between 1998 and 2006. It turned out that
those who exercised consistently for at least 10 years had the
lowest risk of colon cancer death.
"People who were consistently active over the course of their
adulthood had a lower risk of death from colon cancer than those
who were sedentary," says first author Kathleen Y. Wolin, ScD.
"People often wonder around the start of a new year whether
exercise really will help them stay healthy or whether it's already
too late. It's never too late to start exercising, but it's also
never too early to start being active. That's the message we hope
people will take away from this study."
Wolin, assistant professor of surgery in the Division of
Public Health Sciences, says the benefits of starting an exercise
program include not just preventing colon cancer and death from the
disease, but also reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and other
cancers.
She says the greatest benefits seem to accrue in those who
have exercised for the largest percentage of their lives. But it
isn't necessary to run marathons or to work out for many hours
every day.
"You get enormous 'bang for the buck,'" she says. "You go for
a 30-minute walk every day, and you're going to reduce your risk of
a number of diseases. And in addition, our research has also shown
that you feel better, physically and mentally, so you're able to
function better."
And physical activity even can be beneficial after a cancer
diagnosis already has been made.
"There is evidence that being physically active can reduce
the risk of recurrence and death following a cancer diagnosis,"
Wolin says. "So even those who haven't been physically active can
begin exercising after their diagnosis and see some real benefits
as well."
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