How walking can cut your risk of colon cancer by 25 per cent

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-12 16:26

Regular exercise can cut your risk of colon cancer by a quarter, a detailed analysis has revealed. Even walking reduces the likelihood of developing one of the most common cancers, the review of 52 studies from the past 25 years found.

It showed that of the thousands of individuals examined, the most active ones were the least likely to develop the disease. The protection remained even after risk factors linked to cancer, such as diet, obesity and smoking, were taken into account.

The British Journal of Cancer study combined results from research covering many kinds of physical activity, including manual labour, jogging, working out at the gym and brisk walking.

Those who took regular exercise cut their risk of colon cancer by 24 per cent. The benefit was the same for men and women.

Bowel cancer is the third most common form of cancer, affecting more than 36,500 people a year in the UK.

Two-thirds of cases occur in the colon, while the rest develop in the rectum.

Exercise is thought to cut the risk of the disease by keeping weight in check and increasing the speed at which cancer-causing chemicals in food pass through the gut.

It also reduces bowel inflammation and the level of hormones linked to the growth of tumours.