Exercise & Cancer: What You Need to Know

The medical community has known for years that exercising is important when it comes to cancer prevention, but they didn't know just how important until last month. A team of National Cancer Institute researchers recently completed a study that links exercise with a reduced risk of certain cancers – 13 cancers, to be exact.

The study was done to determine the link between "leisure-time physical activity of a moderate to vigorous intensity" and 26 types of cancer. Data was gathered from the US and Europe on 1.44 million adults.

The researchers concluded that regular physical activity can significantly lower the risk of 13 types of cancers. They also found that people who are overweight or obese have about the same reduced cancer risk as healthy-weight people. The infographic below lists exactly how much exercising can reduce the risk.

This is great news when it comes to cancer prevention. The even better news? You don't have to run a 5k every day to lower to your cancer risk by these percentages. The American Cancer Society says, "Walking at about 3 mph (or 20 minutes per mile) is considered moderate intensity." They recommend that on a weekly basis, adults get two and a half hours of "moderate intensity" activity or an hour and fifteen minutes of "vigorous intensity" activity.

The evidence that physical activity can significantly reduce cancer risk is clearer now than ever before. Our advice? Find an activity of moderate to vigorous intensity and stick with it for life. 

You can read the published study by visiting JAMA Internal Medicine.