It’s a fact, exercise can help prevent cancer from recurring!
It has long been observed that exercise can improve cancer outcomes. However, it has never been proven until a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med 2025;393:13-25 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2502760 VOL. 393 NO. 1) in which patients with colon cancer after being treated with surgery and chemotherapy were divided into two groups. The first group followed a structured exercise program; the second group did not.
The results were impressive in that exercise decreased the recurrence rate of colon cancer by 27%! The mechanism for this exercise effect is not definitely known, but several explanations include:
- Lowering fat in the body, which in turn lowers circulating estrogen, androgen and insulin, all of which are growth factors for tumors
- Improving immune function, which helps eliminating early cancer cells
- Reducing cellular stress, which can mutate DNA
- Increasing gastrointestinal transit time which protects the colon from prolonged exposure to carcinogens in the stool
Additional observations for the benefit of exercise on other cancers (but never proven with hard evidence) include cancers of the breast, uterus, kidney and bladder.
I hate to state to obvious, but like the preacher sharing his faith, I believe in exercise. Shouldn’t you?
Dr. Charlie Barnett is a contributor at KnoxTNToday for a weekly column, DocTalk, providing his expertise on health and wellness management.
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our Free Newsletter.
