Exercise helps in reduce risk of and recovery from cancer

Getting modest amounts of exercise, even just an easy half-hour walk a day, appears to substantially improve women's chances of surviving breast cancer.

Staying active has long been thought to lower the risk of getting cancer, but a new report says it may also be an important prescription for recovery. . . .

People who walk and get other kinds of exercise are less likely to develop many common health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and diabetes. Several studies also suggest exercise can prevent breast and colon cancer, and it may also help stop endometrial, kidney and esophageal cancer. . . .

During as much as 16 years of follow-up, it turned out that those who got lots of exercise were most likely to survive their disease, although even a little bit clearly helped.

Most of the women walked for exercise. Those who put in one to three hours a week at a leisurely 3 mph lowered their risk of dying from breast cancer by one-quarter, compared with the most sedentary women. Those who walked between three and eight hours a week cut their risk in half. . . .

Charles Matthews said those who stayed active through exercise, housework and walking and cycling for errands had about a one-third lower risk of [endometrial] cancer.

“An active lifestyle, whether from exercise or other domains of life, conferred substantial benefit,” he said.