Risk of 13 Types of Cancer May Substantially be reduced by Regular Exercise

You probably have heard countless times how exercise is good for you and know the benefits of regular exercise; it can lower your risk of becoming overweight and can keep diseases such as diabetes and heart problems at arm’s length. But can it help decrease the risk of developing cancer, too? A study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine holds the answer to that question.

For years, there has been substantial evidence to show that people who are physically active tend to have lower rates of breast, colon and endometrial cancer; however, findings have been inconclusive for other types of cancer, which comprise of 75% of cancers in the U.S. and 61% of cancers worldwide, due to the small number of cases used in studies.

The findings strengthen previous evidence that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of breast (10%), colon (16%), and endometrial (21%) cancers. The researchers also found that leisure-time physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of 10 additional cancers, with the highest reduction of risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma (42%), liver cancer (27%), cancer of the gastric cardia (22%), kidney cancer (23%), and myeloid leukemia (20%). Myeloma (17%) and cancers of the head and neck (15%), rectum (13%), and bladder (13%) also showed reduced risks that were meaningful, but not as strong. Risk was also cut for lung cancer (26%), but only for current and former smokers; the explanation for this needs to be further investigated.