Does Regular Exercise Offer Any Cancer-Related Benefits?
While it’s not completely clear that regular exercise can lower your risk of developing cancer, it is clear that exercise has important benefits with regard to cancer.
There is some evidence that regular exercise may lower the risk of developing certain cancers. Exercise improves immune function, which may work to contain or eliminate cancer cells from the body.
Obesity has been linked to the development of several types of cancer. Regular exercise can help maintain a healthy weight and minimize any negative effects excess weight may have on cancer risk.
Men who exercise and remain generally healthy can tolerate a greater range of treatment options. Some men are not healthy enough to undergo surgery, thus limiting their treatment options. Furthermore, men who exercise have less severe fatigue and other side effects from the most common prostate cancer treatments (such as radiation therapy).
The Bottom Line
The benefits to cancer prevention may not be absolutely clear-cut at this time, but regular exercise has innumerable benefits for anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer or is coping with the side effects of treatment.
Sources:
Kasper DL, Braunwald E, Hauser S, et al.. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine 16th Edition. 2004.
Kumar V, Fausto N, Abbas A. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 7th Edition. 2004.
