Brisk walk for 25 minutes a day could halve cancer risk

CANCER patients who walk even for less than half an hour a day can cut their risk of dying from the disease by up to 50 per cent, research suggests.

A study presented at the world’s largest cancer conference in Chicago found that brisk exercise had a “clear potential to influence survival”.

Nearly 340 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who had undergone surgery to remove tumours, were split into two groups, one following an exercise programme of 180 minutes a week, while a second group had standard care.

Over a typical follow-up period of eight years, the results showed that those in the exercise group were around half as likely to die as those in the usual care group and less likely to have their disease progress.

Sandra Haye, senior research fellow at the Queensland University of Technology who conducted the study, said most women used walking as their most common form of exercise.

Catherine Priestley, clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care, said: “Many women … will be buoyed by the suggestion that even just 25 minutes of brisk walking a day could help improve their health, and on top of that possibly boost chances of survival.”

In a second study of 992 people with stage three bowel cancer that had begun to spread, those who followed diet and exercise guidelines closely had a 42 per cent lower risk of dying.

 Nearly 10,000 women with incurable breast cancer can look forward to months of good quality extra life thanks to drug breakthroughs capable of halting the disease, scientists told the conference.