exercise against cancer not a dream

Cancer, a heavy topic concerning life and death;

Exercise, an eternal topic related to health.

So, what kind of relationship exists between the two?

The American Cancer Society (ACS) updates its nutrition and physical activity guidelines every five years, with the entire text written by professionals from the ACS Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee.

The latest ACS report points out: Although genes are related to the risk of cancer, most of the risk differences for cancer come from various acquired factors rather than heredity. The World Cancer Research Fund believes that about 20% of cancers in the United States are related to body obesity, lack of exercise, excessive drinking, or poor nutrition.

From this, we can easily find that changing lifestyle habits can reduce the risk of cancer to a certain extent.

If we always maintain a positive and healthy diet, participate in regular exercise, control weight reasonably and effectively, and avoid smoking, we will greatly reduce the risk of cancer. Of course, these healthy lifestyles can also reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

So, how should the latest results of the guidelines be implemented at the operational level?

1. Recommended amount of exercise

We all know that regular exercise and a healthy diet are the best combination to maintain figure and health. So, what kind of exercise do we need to do? And how long do we need to exercise?

① Adults: At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week (or a combination of both).

② Children and adolescents: At least 1 hour of moderate-intensity or vigorous activity every day, at least 3 days a week.

③ It is recommended that people reduce sedentary time as much as possible, such as reducing the time spent sitting or lying down watching TV or playing on an iPad.

Note: ACS believes that 1 minute of vigorous activity can replace 2 minutes of moderate activity.

For example: 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity is equivalent to 100 minutes of moderate activity + 25 minutes of vigorous activity. This combination of exercise produces the same health benefits.

Currently, no studies have shown a difference in effectiveness between long-duration high-intensity exercise once a week and multiple short-duration exercises per week.

Therefore, it is still recommended that everyone exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes every day.

2. What activities count as "moderate-intensity" and "vigorous" exercise?

Usually, we consider walking to the parking lot or climbing stairs at home as daily activities, which are short-duration low-intensity exercises. In addition, regular and planned exercise during leisure time is considered physical exercise.

We classify the physical exercises we often participate in daily by intensity:

3. Recommendations before exercise

a. For people who do not exercise regularly, starting a regular exercise routine only requires attention to exercise time and amount, both of which can be gradually increased without needing to reach the recommended weekly activity level at the beginning;

b. Most children and young people do not need medical examinations before exercise and can safely engage in moderate or vigorous exercise;

c. When men are over 40 years old, women are over 50 years old, and there are risk factors for chronic diseases or heart disease, exercise risk screening (such as electrocardiogram exercise tests) is required before exercise, and strict adherence to the doctor's exercise prescription is necessary.

4. Benefits of exercise

Active exercise has been proven to have significant benefits for our health: maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of early death; a large amount of physical activity can better reduce the risk of cancer.

Being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk of several types of cancer:

① Breast cancer (postmenopausal women):

Many studies have shown that regular moderate to vigorous exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer.

② Colorectal cancer:

Most studies have found that being overweight or obese increases the risk of colorectal cancer in both men and women, but the association is stronger in men, which is related to waist circumference and abdominal fat. Studies have shown that participating in physical activities can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Regular moderate-intensity exercise can reduce the risk, and moderate to vigorous exercise may yield greater health benefits.

③ Endometrial cancer:

There is strong evidence that being overweight or obese increases the risk of endometrial cancer, which is closely related to abdominal fat and prolonged sitting in women.

④ Kidney cancer:

The causes of kidney cancer are unclear, but the most obvious risk factors are obesity and smoking. Therefore, the best current advice to reduce the risk of kidney cancer is to maintain a healthy weight and avoid tobacco use.

⑤ Oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal cancers:

Studies suggest that obesity increases the risk of esophageal and gastric cardia cancers, which may be related to acid reflux.

⑥ Pancreatic cancer:

The main risk factors for pancreatic cancer are smoking and type II diabetes. Some studies have found a high correlation between being overweight or obese and the occurrence of pancreatic cancer.

In summary, the vast majority of research conclusions suggest:

Being overweight or obese increases the risk of multiple cancers, while active and regular exercise can effectively reduce the risk of cancer.

Therefore, regardless of our age, we should effectively control our weight through active and reasonable exercise to avoid being overweight and reduce the risk of cancer in the long run.

(This article was originally published on Codoon and is reprinted with official authorization.)