A new encouraging study found that exercise was linked to a significant improvement in survival for colon cancer patients.
Researchers examined an exercise program initiated shortly after chemotherapy treatment began. The trial lasted three years, with participants engaging in at least double the amount of exercise recommended for the general population in the United Kingdom. In practice, that could be three to four sessions of brisk walking each week, ranging from 45 to 60 minutes, according to one of the study’s researchers, Prof Vicky Coyle from Queen’s University Belfast.
“It’s a bit of a mind-shift, thinking of treatment as something you do, not just something you take,” said Coyle, per the BBC.
The study examined 889 patients, half of whom undertook the exercise regimen. The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that after five years, eight out of 10 of the people exercising remained cancer-free, compared to 74% in the other group. Looking further out, 10% of the people in the exercise program passed away after eight years, compared to 17% of people in the other group.
The exact reason why exercise may be beneficial is unknown. Some theories include its potential impact on growth hormones, inflammation levels, and the immune system.
“I saw first-hand that this reduced fatigue, lifted people’s mood and boosted their physical strength,” said Dr. Joe Henson from the University of Leicester.
“We know that physical activity regulates several key biological processes that could explain these results, and further research will help us uncover why exercise is having such a positive impact.”
Earlier this year, The Dallas Express reported that a study from the UK’s National Institute of Health (NIH) and the University of Oxford found that people who engaged in light and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity daily physical activity had a reduced chance of developing cancer compared to their less-active peers. Individuals who moved 7,000 steps a day were linked to an 11% lower cancer risk than those who moved just 5,000.
Furthermore, people who recorded 9,000 steps daily had a 16% lower cancer risk than those who moved 5,000 steps daily.