Physical exercise for cancer prevention - does it work?
It is a known fact that physical activity can improve motivation to change a lifestyle, that leads to a better physical condition and less fatigue. But research results also prove that exercising helps to reduce the risk of cancer as a non-pharmaceutical therapy. Journal of Sport and Health Science published an article that actually shows reduce in the incidence of oncologic pathology. As such, exercising at least 3–5 h per week is already sufficient to see the improved rates. Those with active physical activity showed 15%-20% decrease in the risk of breast cancer and nearly 24% in colorectal cancer. Moreover, statistics results demonstrate a 19% lower risk of cancer in general among exercising people. But here is more benefit- physical activity helps to decrease adverse reactions during oncological treatment, helping in better adherence to the therapy, as well as a higher tolerance. That directly affect the survival time in patients with cancer. Furthermore, exercise may not only reduce treatment toxicity but also enhance the therapeutic effect of the prescribed treatment.