On July 27, a group of researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Norway published the results of a study in the journal Journal of the American Medical Association. The report brings together evidence to say that even a minimal amount of physical exercise reduces the chances of getting cancer.
Ora Paltiel, professor at the Braun School of Public Health at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem explained the importance of this study. Paltiel associated his relevance more to his possible impact on the dissemination of health in the public sphere than to his medical innovation. “It has its limitations, but it is a good proof-of-concept study. It means that doing something is better than doing nothing,” said the Israeli scientist.
Furthermore, Paltiel added that “at the end of the day, it is a very good message. It means that even if his lifestyle does not allow him to be physically active regularly or if exercise is not part of his mindset, he can potentially make a difference to his health by stressing his body several times a day.”
Based on the analysis of a biomedical database of almost one million volunteers, the study selected 22.398 adults who did not play sports. These individuals were followed for six years, given wrist accelerometers to measure physical activity.
From this information, scientists stated that 4.5 minutes of vigorous physical activity can reduce the incidence of cancer by 31%. Especially the colon, breast, esophagus, among others.