The Majority of the evidence associating increased physical activity to a decreased risk of cancer derives from observational research. While regular physical exercise improves your general health, fitness, and quality of living, it also lowers your chance of chronic diseases such as cancer.
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| Five Hours Of Physical Activity Per Week May Help Prevent Certain Cancers: Study |
According to new research published in the journal ‘Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise’, more than 46,000 cancer cases in the United States may be averted each year, if Americans follow the five-hour-per-week moderate-intensity physical activity recommendations.
The study emphasizes the significance of physical activity. It discusses how there are several hurdles to leisure physical activity, such as a lack of time owing to long working hours in low-wage professions, as well as the expense of gyms or wellness programs. Physical inactivity is exacerbated by a limitation of access to a safe environment.
The study was led by an MPH at the American Cancer Society, Adair Minihan. Reportedly, it’s the first research to quantify the cancer cases related to physical inactivity based on cancer sites (breast, endometrium, colon, abdomen, kidney, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and urinary bladder) by state. The states with the maximum number were mainly in the South, such as West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Mountain area and northern regions, such as Utah, Wyoming, and Wisconsin, along with Montana and Washington had the lowest rates.
According to the data, physical inactivity was responsible for 3% of all cancer incidences in individuals aged 30 and older in the United States from 2013 to 2016. In addition, the percentage was significantly higher in women than in males.
The statistics highlight significant cancer spots, such as 16.9% of stomach cancers, 11.9% of endometrial cancer, 11.0% of cancer in the kidney, 9.3% of colon cancers, 8.1% of esophageal cancers, 6.5% of breast cancer in females, and 3.9% of cancer in the urinary bladder.
As per the author of the study, these outcomes highlight the need of encouraging physical activity as a cancer prevention strategy, as well as implement individual and community-level strategies for addressing the numerous behavioral and socioeconomic obstacles to recreational physical exercise. Furthermore, understanding and eliminating these obstacles is critical for optimizing intervention programs targeting the at-risk populations across the country.