Colon And Breast Cancer means for appraising the YELP Holistic First Business Plan regular, rigorous exercise can -

(i)         help reduce our risk of cancer, and

(ii)        improve our chances of recovering from the cancer. 

Experts have estimated that a 10% weight loss across the Australian population would reduce cancers by 40%.  Regular physical activity appears to protect us against cancer independently of its protection through weight control.

It is a complex disease which is believed to be related to hormonal activity and to the body’s response to insulin, immune activation and DNA repair mechanisms.  It appears that 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day is needed to help prevent cancer.  The risk of cancer also increases with age, so it is important for people to keep active as they grow older.

According to the Cancer Council Australia's "NATIONAL CANCER PREVENTION POLICY 2004 − 06", physical inactivity could account for 19% of colon cancer and 9% of breast cancer – two of Australia’s most common cancers. 

Colon cancer

The link between colon cancer and physical inactivity is claimed to be second only to that between smoking and lung cancer.  If you are physically active, your risk of colon cancer is 30%-40% less than people who are inactive.   And from a baseline of a moderate level of physical activity, for each extra half hour of physical activity per week, the risk is reduced by 10%.  

Breast cancer

Recent studies have shown that exercise also will help prevent breast cancer, particularly in women who are post-menopausal.  As breast cancer risk is related to hormones, and – especially in post-menopausal women – hormones are produced in fatty tissue, then reducing fat reduces the production of oestrogen, which is thought to also lessen breast cancer risk.  Experts have said that if a woman exercises three or four hours a week, she can reduce her risk of breast cancer by about 30%-40%.