Strenuous Exercise Shown to Increase Longevity in Men with Prostate/Colon Cancer, Say Studies
December 28, 2009 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis We’ve all known for years that exercise has many health benefits including lowering high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cardiovascular disease. Well now, multiple studies are also confirming that strenuous exercise a few times a week in men being treated for prostate or colon cancer can increase their chances of remission and long-term survival.
Earlier this month, findings presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference showed that “men who engaged in five or more hours of vigorous physical activity [during] a week, were at decreased risk of dying from their prostate cancer.”
Researchers assessed the physical activity level for 2,686 patients in a Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Men with metastases (cancer spreading to other parts of the body) at diagnosis were excluded from the study.
“We saw benefits at very attainable levels of activity,” said Dr. Stacey A. Kenfield, lead author of the study and epidemiology research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health.
“We aren’t sure of the exact molecular effects exercise has on prostate cancer, but exercise is known to influence a number of hormones hypothesized to stimulate prostate cancer, boost immune function, and reduce inflammation,” she added.