A few minutes of exercise a day can reduce risk of cancer - study

If you claim you don’t have enough time to exercise, try this prescription: Just four-and-a-half minutes of vigorous physical activity every day could be enough to reduce significantly the risk of getting cancer. 

The Australian researchers published their findings in JAMA Oncology under the title “Short bursts of vigorous daily activity may be linked to reduced cancer incidence.” Physical activity, lifestyle, and population health Prof. Emmanuel Stamatakis at the School of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney led the research. 

“We know the majority of middle-aged individuals don’t exercise regularly, so it puts them at increased cancer risk. But it’s only through the advent of wearable technology like activity trackers that one can look at the impact of short bursts of incidental physical activity done as part of daily living,” said Stamatakis. “It’s quite remarkable to see that upping the intensity of daily tasks for as little as four to five minutes daily, done in short bursts of around one minute each, is linked to an overall reduction in cancer risk by up to 18%, and up to 32% for cancer types linked to physical activity.”

The team looked at data from 22,398 adults in the UK Biobank wrist accelerometry sub-study for an average of 6.7 years who reported that they don’t exercise at all, except for walking once a week or less. The study participants wore accelerometers on their wrists that were used to measure short periods of vigorous activity like climbing stairs, walking very fast, walking uphill, and more during their daily routine. The measurements showed that most of the vigorous activities they performed lasted a minute or less. 

During the follow-up period, 2,356 cases of cancer were discovered among the participants. After neutralizing other factors when analyzing the data, it was found that vigorous physical activity lasting at least 3.6 minutes a day was associated with a 17% to 18% decrease in the risk of getting cancer compared to the absence of vigorous activity. It was also discovered that about 4.5 minutes of vigorous physical activity per day was connected with a 20% decrease in the risk of getting cancer. 

In addition, when the data in the new study was examined only in relation to types of cancer that are considered to be due to a lack of physical activity, it was found that 4.5 minutes of vigorous activity was associated with a 31% decrease in the risk of getting cancer. This category includes 26 types of cancer, including lung cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, head and neck cancers, breast cancer and certain types of blood cancer.

Researchers conclude a few minutes of physical activity is better than none

The researchers concluded that even short but vigorous physical activity every day may have a positive effect on health and reduce the risk of cancer and that any physical activity is better than inactivity.

Commenting on the study, the Israel Cancer Society (ICA) recommended doing for at least a few minutes a day vigorous activity like climbing stairs, walking very fast, pedaling fast on a spinning/exercise bike, training on a stair or elliptical machine, jumping rope and the like. 

Ira Tolchin, the ICA’s health and wellbeing promotion campaign director, explained that “even vigorous physical activity for a short period of time can contribute to reducing the risk of cancer. This is dramatic news that can become a real health recommendation. We call on Israelis to incorporate physical activity into their routine daily and limit sitting time to reduce the risk of cancer. At the same time, it is essential to combine sports activity with a healthy diet, not smoking and to avoid exposure to tobacco smoke, reducing alcohol consumption, limiting alcohol consumption, and maintaining a healthy and balanced diet and a normal body weight.