Exercise boosts cancer recovery and slashes risk of death or relapse by a third, major study finds
'BETTER THAN A DRUG'
Top doctors say prescribing exercise is "a no-brainer"
- Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent
EXERCISE is “better than a drug” at stopping cancer coming back, a landmark trial suggests.
Top doctors say recovering patients should be prescribed personal trainers to boost survival.
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A Cancer Research UK study showed it could slash bowel cancer patients’ risk of death or relapse.
Following an exercise programme after treatment reduced their risk of dying within eight years by 37 per cent.
And it reduced the chance of a patient’s cancer growing back within five years by 28 per cent.
Physical activity also appeared to cut the risk for breast and prostate cancers, the two most common types.
Dr Julie Gralow, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said: “This is the same magnitude of benefit as many drugs.
“Drugs get approved for less than that and they’re expensive and toxic, so I would say it’s better than a drug.”
Dr Pamela Kunz, of Yale University in the US, said prescribing it was a “no-brainer”.
The world-first trial involved 889 people from Canada and Australia who had received surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer, the most common form of bowel cancer.
It affects around 32,000 people per year in the UK and develops in the large intestine.
Half of the participants were given basic exercise advice and the other half were assigned personal trainers and given tailored exercise programmes for three years.
The plan added the equivalent of three to four hours of walking on top of patients’ normal daily activity.
At the end of the 15-year trial, people in the personal trainer group were significantly less likely to have relapsed or died.
Study author Dr Christopher Booth, from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, said: “These results are clear: an exercise program that includes a personal trainer will reduce the risk of recurrent or new cancer, make you feel better and help you live longer.
“Most patients chose a walking program and could reach their targets by going for a walk of 45 to 60 minutes three to four times per week.
“The benefit was substantial and in some cases exceeded the benefit of many of our very good medical therapies.
“This sets a new standard of care for colon cancer.”
If you start exercising after you get through your treatment you still get the benefits – it’s not too late
Dr Julie Gralow
He said that one life was saved for every 14 patients who enlisted in the exercise programme.
It cost an estimated £2,500 per patient over three years and the Canadian government is now looking at including it in hospital care.
Dr Gralow added: “If you start exercising after you get through your treatment you absolutely still get the benefits – it’s not too late.
“Three decades ago it was still the era of doctors being gentle and saying don’t overdo it, but we’ve reversed that and had a major shift in understanding the importance of physical activity.
“We should be doing all we can to help patients be active.”
There are guidelines issued by the NHS and the Government regarding how much exercise people should do each day.
People should be active daily, and avoid sitting for long periods.
The NHS recommends an adults – those aged 19 to 64 – should aim for 150 minutes of “moderate intensity activity” a week.
This works out to 21 minutes a day, or 30 minutes five days a week.
Or, they could do 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, which could be less than 11 minutes per day or 25 minutes three days a week.
Adults should also aim to do strength exercises twice a week, at least.
Examples of moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, water aerobics, riding a bike, dancing, doubles tennis, pushing a lawn mower, hiking or rollerblading.
Examples of vigorous activities include running, swimming, riding a bike fast or on hills, walking up the stairs, sports, like football, rugby, netball and hockey, skipping, aerobics, gymnastics or martial arts.
Things like lifting heavy weights, sprinting up hills, spin classes or circuit training are considered very vigorous.
What time should you exercise?
Getting exercise into your day, no matter what time is a good idea.
But you may want to be more selective depending on your goal.
A 2023 US study on 5,285 middle-aged adults showed exercising between 7 and 9 am was the best time if you're looking to lose weight.
Researchers found that early-bird gym goers had a lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than those working out later.
A 2022 study led by Prof Paul J Arciero, Skidmore College, New York, found that the optimal time of day to get your kit on might differ according to your gender.
Prof Arciero said women wanting to lose fat around their belly and hips would do better to hit the gym in the morning, but those seeking to gain upper body strength or simply improve their mood might see more results from evening exercise.
The results were the opposite for men.
If you struggle to get to sleep, it's been found that exercise in the morning may help, but exercise in the evening may help you to stay asleep.
Exercise, generally, can improve sleep quality.
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