45 min daily exercise can reduce risk of cancer, say experts

By Shalini Bhardwaj
New Delhi [India], November 18 : Experts in India are in agreement with the findings of a recent study that at least 45 minutes of exercise daily (at least 300 minutes in a week) could reduce the risk of cancer, the leading cause of death in India and across the world.
According to the study on inactivity, exercise and malignancies, conducted in the United States (US) more than 46,000 cancer cases in the country could be prevented each year if people walk for about 45 minutes a day.
The study, which analyzed cancer incidence and the physical activity habits of nearly 6,00,000 American men and women in every state and the district of Columbia, found that about 3 per cent of common cancers in the United States are strongly linked with inactivity.
Experts in India also said that exercise plays a vital role in preventing cancer.
Dr Nita Radhakrishnan, Head Of Department of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology, Super Specialty Paediatric Hospital and PG Teaching Institute (SSPHPGT), Noida said that the study is a recent one and several older works have shown that physical activity reduces the risk of cancer.
"Basically, physical activity improves the immune system. In our body, there is something called the tumour surveillance system; whenever someone develops a malignancy, it is the failure of the tumour surveillance system," she said.
"Exercise shows that it is linked to the improvement of the immune status and is also linked to certain cancers like breast, colon, gut. It improves the time the food moves through the gut. If the person is physically active, it helps in reducing the chances of cancer," she added.
Nita also said that if those who have a hectic schedule exercise daily, then it can reduce the risk of cancer by at least 1-2 per cent.
"Considering the hectic lifestyle of today, exercise can definitely help a lot. Even if it reduces, let's say 1 per cent or 2 per cent, it is a significant number," she said.
Adding to it, Dr PK Julka MD, FAMS, Padma Shri Awardee and Principal Director at Max Oncology said, "Exercise builds the immune system; the better it is, the fewer are the chances of cancer. Our immune system kills the cancer cells and it does not allow the cancer cells to grow."
"Our immune system is simply our T lymphocytes. These immune cells play a vital role in the management of cancer and that is why we also use immunotherapy at our centre," he further said.
"I always tell my patients that number one is diet and number two is exercise. So, exercise is a must! Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of cancer worldwide, not only in India. So, exercising is very good for health, for cardiac diseases also," he added.