How 30-minute daily walk gives life to cancer patients
I’ll just trim the lawn before the weather closes in...
WALKING for just 30 minutes a day can boost the chances of beating cancer by almost half, research shows.
Separate studies involving breast and bowel cancer patients found that regular exercise had a huge impact on survival.
The first was carried out by a team from Harvard University who followed 992 men with stage three bowel cancer, which had spread to nearby tissue, for seven years. Stage three is the second most advanced form of cancer.
Patients who did 30 minutes’ moderate exercise five days a week and ate healthily were 42% less likely to die. They also lived longer if the cancer returned.
The second study, by Australian researchers, looked at 194 women who had recently undergone surgery to remove breast cancer.
Half of the patients were told to do 180 minutes’ moderate activity a week for at least eight months – although many carried on for longer.
The other half continued about their normal lives and both groups were examined after eight years.
The team from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane found that women who had exercised were 55% more likely to still be alive.
The majority of patients in both studies did brisk walking as their main activity but heavy cleaning, gentle cycling and mowing the lawn also counted.
Scientists believe that even moderate exercise can slow tumour growth by reducing levels of hormones. .
They include insulin, which helps tumour cells multiply, as well as oestrogen in women, which encourages the development of breast cancer.
Exercise is particularly important for bowel cancer as it reduces inflammation, which can lead to cells multiplying and forming tumours. It also prevents patients becoming obese, as fat tissue produces hormones that stimulate tumour growth.
The bowel cancer study was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.
Dr Erin van Blarigan, associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco said: ‘Patients should build up to exercising for at least 150 minutes per week. Doctors absolutely should counsel patients to exercise.’
Dr Vicky Coyle, a cancer research scientist at Queen’s University Belfast, said: ‘Patients with advanced bowel cancer could benefit from keeping a healthy weight, being physically active, and eating a healthy diet.’