There is something you can do that can help you live longer after a diagnosis of colon cancer, and you can start on your own, at home or at a gym. Exercise is associated with a longer life for colon cancer patients, according to a new study published on Monday (24) in Cancer magazine of the American Cancer Society.
“Although many cancer patients now live longer after cancer than for decades, survival rates after a cancer diagnosis still remain shorter than in the general population,” says the main author of, Justin Brown, an associate professor, and director of the Cancer Metabolism Program at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
“This study suggests that after a diagnosis of colon cancer, physical activity can help patients live longer and, for some patients, help them live as much as, or even more, than those of the general population Without cancer, ”he adds.
Although the researchers already knew that the, little was known about whether this could help patients return to survival rates of those who have never had cancer, according to Keith Diaz, associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. He was not involved in the research.
Discoveries can be welcome to both people in treatment and remission, according to Brown. Among young adults, from 20 to 49 years old, it is estimated that the main cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States by 2030.
“Patients are often eager to understand how the choices they make outside the cancer center walls can impact how they feel, work and survive,” he adds.
Exercise can reduce the ability of cancer cells to spread
To conduct the study, the researchers interviewed nearly 3,000 patients with colon cancer about their levels of during and after chemotherapy, according to Brown.
The researchers then accompanied the patients for about six years and analyzed how long each person survived compared to their expected life expectancy based on age, gender and year of diagnosis, he adds.
Not only those who exercise regularly lived more time, but they also saw a small risk of cancer returning, second Diaz.
The study was observational, which means that researchers cannot say for sure that exercise caused the best survival rates, but it makes sense that physical activity would help, according to Diaz.
“The benefits of exercise after a diagnosis of colon cancer are multifaceted. Exercise improves heart health, mental health and intestinal health, all who play important roles in long-term survival, ”he adds by email.
Researchers are still learning a lot about exact mechanisms, but physical activity seems to have a positive impact on both the environment where cancer cells can try to grow and in the cells themselves, second Diaz.
Exercise can reduce inflammation and insulin levels that allow cancer cells to grow and spread, the expert adds. Physical activity also improves the immune system, facilitating the detection and elimination of cancer cells by the body.
Small lifestyle changes make a big difference
A diagnosis of cancer may seem disorienting, but this study may give patients and their loved ones some comfort to know that there are things under their control, according to Brown.
“In this study, we show that small amounts of daily physical activity can contribute to better survival,” says the expert. “Small changes in behaviors, when integrated throughout life, make a big difference to health.”
The data showed that five to six hours of weekly activities, such as fast walking, were useful, but the more exercise the better, according to Brown. But those who are not active would benefit from just a little.
There are still questions about how much physical activity, what kind and what intensity is useful for survival after cancer, adds Diaz.
One showed that only one or two minutes of vigorous exercise – such as fast walking, intense housework or playing with children – could reduce the risk of cancer. Published in March 2023 suggested that 11 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity (which may include dance, running, cycling and swimming) every day could reduce the risk of disease, including cancer.
It is powerful to see the difference that lifestyle changes can make, second Diaz. “This is incredibly encouraging news for colon cancer survivors – this points out that a cancer diagnosis is not the end, and there may be many healthy years ahead,” he says.
