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Exercising regularly has become one of the most potent ways to fight cancer. Even though exercising regularly helps one stay healthy, lose weight and improves blood pressure, exercises can also halt or slow down the onset of some diseases.
Over the years, different studies have shown that exercising plays a big role in reduced risk of getting some cancers.
These are some of the cancers whose development can be halted by exercising.
Endometrial cancer
Research shows that women who exercise for about 150 minutes a week have a 34 percent chance of lowering the risk of getting endometrial cancer, a cancer which starts in the uterus lining, compared to those who do no exercise at all. This is according to research done by the Yale School of Public Health. The research also stated that women who have a body mass index below 25 have a 73 percent chance of reducing the risk of getting endometrial cancer. People who have a body mass index of above 25 are considered overweight or obese.
Prostate cancer
There have been studies that have shown increased physical activity in men led to a decrease in the risk of them getting aggressive prostate cancer. This is according to a study done in 2006 in the International Journal of Cancer. The exercises are not so much about what one is doing but about how intense they are. One can choose to go to the gym or try jogging every day in the morning. While jogging, one should start slowly then go faster after a couple of days or weeks to avoid their heart rate going up.
Breast cancer
Women from families with histories of breast cancer shown to have reduced risk of developing cancer by one fourth as a result of doing vigorous and moderate exercise for about 20 minutes about five times a week. This is according to a study done and published in the journal Breast Cancer Research.
Women who are in the postmenopausal stage and started exercising slowly and advanced to intense exercises are said to have had significant changes in the protein and hormone levels in their body. These changes were consistent with the reduced risk of them getting breast cancer according to a study that was published online in a journal of Clinical Oncology.
Several other studies suggest that if women start exercising during adolescent, this can delay the development of breast cancer for those who carry a mutation in BRCA gene which is associated with the increased risk of breast cancer. However, this does not stop the disease from developing.
Lung cancer
Whether one is a current or former smoker, exercising reduces their risk of getting lung cancer. About 36,929 women were part of a research that followed their lives for about 16 years, which was done by the University of Minnesota. The research discovered that women who exercise often had lower chances of getting lung cancer compared to those who did not exercise. This is according to the 2006 study in a journal called Cancer Epidemiology Biomarker and Prevention.
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancer that is found in the cells on the surface of the ovary. Women who do high intensity exercises have reduced chances of getting ovarian cancer as opposed to women who do not exercise at all. This is according to a study in the Journal Cancer Causes and Control that was published in April 2019.
Women are advised to start working out slowly with simple exercises then advance to intense exercises and cardiovascular workouts that help you sweat and get your pulse up.
Gastric cancer
According to a study carried out in 2008 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, people who worked out every day, even for a short time, had 50 percent reduced chance of getting gastric cancer. Those who do heavy works like working at mines and construction sites had a reduced risk of getting stomach cancer. This is according to a study carried out in 2007 in the European Journal of Cancer.
People who do strenuous exercises more than thrice a week have a 20 to 40 percent reduced risk of getting stomach cancer compared to people who do not exercise.
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