Consistent physical activity may lower colon cancer death risk

It is evident in several previous studies that regular physical activity provides enormous health benefits, like it helps reduce heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases and metabolic conditions as well as consistent fitness exercise is also highly beneficial for weight reduction and weight maintenance, and may improve brain chemistry to reduce depression.

30-minute walking could cut colon-cancer risk
Now a new research by scientists at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis has suggested that regular physical exercise could lower the risk of death from colon cancer.

According to the study findings, that walking for 30 minutes a day could lower the risk of dying from colon cancer, as reported by several online published media reports.

Study details
In one of the first studies of its kind, a team of researchers at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis examined data from more than 150,000 people between 1982 and 2005, according to a report by AHN.

The researchers, teamed up with colleagues from the American Cancer Society, compared the study subjects’ levels of physical activity to see whether changes in physical activity influenced either the incidence of colon cancer diagnosis or the death risk from the disease, reports the tabloid.

The research team linked those activity levels both to the number of colon cancer cases diagnosed between 1998 and 2005 and to the number of death due to colon cancer occurred between 1998 and 2006.

Findings
After analyzing the data, the researchers found that those who exercised consistently for at least ten years had the lowest risk of colon cancer death.

"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," says first author Kathleen Y. Wolin, of Washington University School of Medicine.

Although, regular physical activity showed significant reduction in colon cancer death risk, but Wolin said it wasn't necessary to run marathons or work out for hours a day, instead only a 30-minute walk every day would be beneficial, according to UK’s Telegraph.

"You get enormous 'bang for the buck'. You go for a 30-minute walk every day and you're going to reduce your risk of a number of diseases,” the British tabloid quoted Wolin as saying.

"And in addition, our research has also shown that you feel better, physically and mentally, so you're able to function better.

"People often wonder around the start of a new year whether exercise really will help them stay healthy or whether it's already too late.

"It's never too late to start exercising, but it's also never too early to start being active. That's the message we hope people will take away from this study."

About colon cancer
Colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, occurs when there is an abnormal cell growth in the lining of the large intestine (colon) or rectum. There are no early warning signs of this type of cancer.

However, as the disease progresses, the symptoms may include blood in the stool, abdominal pain, a change in bowel habits (such as constipation or diarrhea), unexplained weight loss, or fatigue.

Risk factors of colon cancer depend upon one’s genetics and lifestyle. Some of the risk factors include age, polyps or inflammatory bowel disease, family history of colorectal cancer, and history of ovarian or breast cancer.