Posts Tagged ‘weight’

Exercise

Regular exercise reduces the risk of cancer. Correspondingly, immobility and sitting can increase the risk of developing cancer. Studies show that adequate exercise, healthy nutrition and weight management can prevent at least one third of the most common cancers.

Regular exercise is the best thing you can do for yourself. Walk up the stairs and give the lift a miss, do housework, cycle, and don’t use a car. Everything, even short bouts of exercise, improves your health.

It is wiser to opt for everyday beneficial exercise than irregular visits to the gym. But from the point of view of cancer prevention, frequent, strenuous fitness training is the most effective way to reduce the risk of cancer.

Still, even physical activity does not protect against health problems if you otherwise lead a sedentary lifestyle.

What cancers can exercise prevent?

Exercise prevents bowel cancer, breast cancer, and uterine cancer.

The more exercise you take, the smaller the cancer risk. Exercise reduces the risk of cancer more effectively the more physically demanding it is.  Exercise should be regular (preferably every day, at least 5 times a week), over a long period (exercising throughout your whole life) and moderate or heavy.

A minimum of seven hours of exercise a week lowers the risk of breast cancer by 25%, compared to taking the least amount of exercise. The risk of colon cancer is about 25 % lower, and according to some studies up to 40% lower, in those who engage in regular physical activity, compared to those who do not exercise.

“The more you exercise, the lower your risk of cancer.”

Adult weight gain, especially around the waist, increases the risk of developing uterine cancer. The cancer risk increases to the greater the more overweight. Strenuous or heavy exercise reduces the risk of uterine cancer, especially in obese women, by up to 40%.

Exercise also helps keep a check on your weight. By keeping your weight normal, you can further reduce the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer. In addition, maintaining normal weight may in part reduce the risk of many other cancers, such as kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer and oesophageal cancer.

Weight management

When you remain a normal weight or try to do so, you can reduce the risk of many illnesses. The main measures for weight monitoring is the Body Mass Index  (BMI) and waist circumference.

According to research, weight management, healthy nutrition and sufficient exercise can help prevent at least a third of the most common cancers.

The majority of Finns are overweight, even though the prevalence of overweight is decreasing.  Our weight tells us when we are getting more energy from food and drink than we use. This nowadays goes unnoticed, as we spend a large part of each day sitting at work, at home and in vehicles.  So there is not enough movement in relation to the amount of energy from we get from food and drink.

What cancer does being overweight cause?

Overweight and excess fat around the waist increase the risk of illness

  • breast cancer (postmenopausal)
  • cancer of the colon and rectum
  • cervical cancer
  • pancreatic cancer
  • oesophageal cancer
  • kidney cancer

Overweight and obesity possibly also increase the risk of gall bladder cancer, liver cancer, ovarian cancer, and aggressive prostate cancer.

“We spend a large part of each day sitting at work, at home and in vehicles.”

As the BMI increases the risk of cancer risk increases according to the type of cancer type. When BMI exceeds the obesity limit (BMI> 30), the risk of cancer increases significantly, by about one-fifth compared to the normal weight (BMI <25). Severe obesity (BMI> 40) is associated with a more than 1.5 times higher risk of developing cancer.

The link between cancer and obesity is complex. However, we can say that the more people have fat in their body, especially around the waist, the greater their risk of having certain cancers.