More exercise, less TV, for better colon cancer survival chance
A new study has found that increased activity by people who have just recovered from colon cancer yields greater chance of survival.
The study cautioned survivors of colon cancer to reduce their television time and to take up exercise instead.
“Our findings suggest that for the one million colorectal cancer survivors in the US, both minimizing TV viewing (fewer than two hours per day) and increasing exercise (4-plus hours per week) may be associated with improved survival,” lead author Hannah Arem of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, said.
The study was based on questionnaires filled for a 1995-1997 National Institutes of Health study which involved 560, 000 people ages 50 to 71. By 2006, almost 4, 700 of the participants had a relapse of invasive colorectal cancer.
Participants who spent seven hours per week doing physical activities were found to have a 20 % more survival rate than those who didn’t.
Those who spent more than seven hours per week in physical activities were 20 percent less likely to die of any cause during the study than less active people.
“The existing evidence of benefit with increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary time (which is supported in our study) suggests that doctors should consider referring colorectal cancer survivors to lifestyle programs targeted to their specific health needs,” Arem said.
