Stay active, prevent cancer

People with an active lifestyle are less likely to develop kidney cancer than those with sedentary routines. The association between physical activity and risk of developing kidney cancer has been debatable. To examine physical activity in relation to development of cancer, Japanese researchers studied 482,386 participants (289,503 men and 192,883 women) aged between 50 and 75 years. The participants were asked about the duration and intensity of their daily exercise routine and frequency of physical activity during adolescence. They were divided into four groups according to their ratio of individual working metabolic rate, which was determined by the amount of time respondents spent sitting, walking, standing, sleeping and exercising. During the follow up of 8 years, 1,238 cases of renal cell (kidney) cancer were diagnosed in the study group. It was found that men in the most active group of people had 13 percent less risk of developing kidney cancer compared with the least active group, and women in the most active group had a 16 percent lower risk than their sedentary counterparts. The findings also revealed that men with less active lifestyle are more vulnerable to developing colon, liver and pancreas cancer and women with inactive routines are more prone to the development of stomach cancer. The researchers concluded that increased physical activity, including activity during adolescence, is associated with a reduced risk of kidney cancer.

Show full article