Research says exercise lowers cancer risk

There has been an unprecedented surge in new research showing that exercise can reduce the risk of various cancers, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

The organization said the evidence is the strongest for colon and breast cancer and slightly less strong for endometrial cancer. Research on prostate and lung cancer has been less consistent, leading the organization to say that exercise may possibly lower the risk of those cancers.

From 2001 to 2005, more than 100 studies looked at physical activity levels and cancer rates. In-depth summaries of those studies can be found at www.aicr.org/activity.

Of the 56 studies on colon cancer, 48 showed a reduction in risk among the most physically active people. Of the 51 studies on breast cancer, 34 showed a reduction in risk.

For endometrial cancer, 14 of 18 studies showed reduced risk. For prostate cancer, 18 of 36 studies showed reduced risk. Ten of 15 studies on lung cancer showed reduced risk.

Averaging all the studies together, physical activity was linked to a 10 to 30 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk, a 30 to 40 percent reduction in breast and endometrial and lung cancer, and a 40 to 50 percent reduction in colon cancer, the organization said.

Exercise tends to lower levels of sex hormones that are linked to various cancers, the organization said.

The organization warned that obesity still is a cancer risk factor and that people should not think that exercise alone can compensate for being overweight.

While there is no consensus on the best dose of exercise in terms of intensity, duration and frequency, most experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate activity, five days a week or more.

Pregnant women urged to get more exercise

Only one of six pregnant women gets enough exercise, according to a new study.

The study looked at data involving 150,259 women from 1994 to 2000.

In 2000, only 16 percent of pregnant women and 27 percent of non-pregnant women were getting enough exercise, according to the study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The study concluded that obstetricians and gynecologists need to do a better job of encouraging women with uncomplicated pregnancies to exercise.

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