3. Exercise Can Strengthen Immune Function
A small pilot study carried out by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute found that once cancer patients had finished their chemotherapy and exercised for several weeks after, their immune systems had remodeled themselves to be more effective, which could potentially fend off future incidences of cancers.
The study found that the immune system T cells were what became more responsive after a cancer survivor engaged in exercise, through analysis of the cancer survivor’s blood before and after a 12 week exercise program.
It was discovered that a high proportion of these immune T cells actually converted from a senescent from (which makes them less effective at fighting disease), into naïve form that was ready to fight off infections and cancer.
This study may help to explain why people who have never had the disease have their chances of developing cancer reduced as well as for those who had had cancer in the past, and are looking to reduce the chance of a secondary cancer developing.
4. Inactivity Increases Chances of Developing Cancer
1% of all cancer are triggered by inactivity according to Cancer Research UK, with the charity going on to mention a study that was published in 2011 stating that 5% of colon cancers, 3% of breast cancers, more than 5% of colon cancer and approximately 4% of endometrial cancers are linked to people who exercised for fewer than 150 minutes a week.
Skip the Bus, Take a Walk to Lower Chances of Developing Cancer
I think it is fair to conclude that given the amount of research that has demonstrated the benefits of exercise in lowering your cancer risk that everyone needs to ensure they are doing weekly exercise to ensure they are actively working to prevent cancer.
As just the word cancer for some can spark a huge amount of panic in a person, but knowing some of the ways cancer can be triggered gives us all hope that we can play some part in controlling our own fate to a certain extent, and that cancer is not such a mystery disease after all.
Of course we must remember that lack of exercise is only one of the ways cancer can be triggered, and that there are still many more factors that can trigger cancer that we have not discussed today, but this still does not mean we should not use this information regarding exercise to our advantage. As what good is living a longer life than our ancestors, if we are riddled with painful and chronic ills?