Health Farm

-- Exercise is good for health – but you knew that. However, what might come as a surprise is the impact of exercise on lowering the risk of developing cancer, and how it can help cancer patients live longer.

Scientists say updated research shows that physically active people have as much as 69 percent less risk of being diagnosed with certain cancers than sedentary people.

Cancer is the world’s most common major disease, with more than 18 million people globally diagnosed with some form of the condition in 2018.

Exercise seems to be especially potent at lessening the likelihood of developing seven common malignancies, including colon, breast, endometrial, kidney, bladder, oesophageal and stomach cancers.

What’s more, multiple recent studies suggest exercise changes the trajectory of cancer once it begins, altering the molecular environment around some tumours, stalling, and even halting their growth.

The American Cancer Society and other international organisations have updated health guidelines to reflect the findings, recommending that people with cancer should exercise at least three times per week at a moderate intensity, such as brisk walking, for at least 30 minutes, and lift weights twice a week.