Exercise ‘reduces risk of dying from colon cancer’

Regular exercise is a great way to lose weight but it can also reduce a person’s risk of dying from colon cancer, a study has shown.

Researchers from Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis studied the exercise patterns of around 150,000 men and women between 1982 and 1997.

They then looked at the number of colon cancer diagnoses that occurred between 1998 and 2005 and the number of deaths from the disease between 1998 and 2006.

“People who were consistently active over the course of their adulthood had a lower risk of death from colon cancer than those who were sedentary,” said the first author of the study Kathleen Wolin.

She went on to urge people to try to fit more physical activity into their lives, stating that “it’s never too late to start exercising”.

Earlier this week, the World Cancer Research Fund stressed that women with large waists have an increased risk of developing cancer, which could give people the motivation to lose weight.

Does this new study make you more motivated to exercise?