How can sport fight cancer?

Keeping active is essential for the health, there’s no doubt about it. Yet how beneficial can it be in the prevention of certain diseases, particularly cancer? And what’s the best "dosage" of physical activity?

In an attempt to answer these questions, researchers from the American Cancer Society conducted a review1 of studies involving over 750,000 adults followed up for over 10 years, producing the following conclusion: 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate physical activity or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of intense physical activity helps to significantly reduce the risk of developing seven different types of cancer.

Specifically, they found that colon cancer in men, breast and endometrial cancer in women, as well as kidney and liver cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma were affected. In men, the risk of colon cancer was reduced by 8% when they participated in 2.5 hours of physical activity every week, and by 15% with 5 hours per week.

The French health ministry already advises we all get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day, making 3.5 hours a week. While this recommendation was initially aimed at benefitting chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, these latest findings show it is just as valid for cancer prevention.

1 Charles E. Matthews, Steven C. Moor, Hannah Arem, Michael B. Cook, Britton Trabert, Niclas Håkansson. Amount and Intensity of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Lower Cancer Risk. Journal of Clinical Oncology.