Anti-cancer benefit of exercise

CANCER is normally seen as a disease of old age, but new research by Brigham and Women’s

Hospital in the US has identified a dramatic rise globally in cancers of the breast, colon, oesophagus, kidney, liver and pancreas in the under-50s.

This trend began in 1990 and shows no sign of stopping. The researchers believe that sleep deprivation, increasingly sedentary lifestyles and a diet of ultra-processed foods, which in turn leads to obesity, are some of the reasons for this surge. The benefits of being more active were illustrated by a recent University of Bristol study, involving more than 131,000 women. It showed that doing some form of vigorous activity three or more days a week was associated with a 38% lower risk of developing breast cancer. Exercise protects by, among other things, reducing chronic inflammation and strengthening our immune system.