14 DAY TRIAL // A recent study conducted by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center shows that men prone to colon cancer can highly benefit from regular exercising. This comes immediately after a study which showed that active women who exercise on a regular basis have high chances to ease breast cancer symptoms and survive the fearful condition.
Men who volunteered for the current study were supposed to exercise for an hour daily and results showed that less than an hour of aerobic activity per day and even less contribute to the reduction of colon cancer risk in men.
"In men who met the study's exercise prescription of an hour of aerobic activity per day, six days a week for a year, we saw a substantial decrease in the amount of cellular proliferation in the areas of the colon that are most vulnerable to colon cancer. However, we found that even four hours or more of exercise weekly was enough to produce a significant benefit," stated lead author Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., Internist, Epidemiologist who directs the Hutchinson Center's Prevention Center.
In conclusion, exercising for more than 4 hours a week decreases the risk of colon cancer by reducing cell proliferation within colonic crypts. Colonic crypts are indentations found in the lining of colon or epithelium which are very useful for our body as they regulate the absorption of water and nutrients.
"A certain amount of cellular proliferation at the bottom part of the crypt is normal. But when these cells start dividing too quickly, they can migrate up the sides of the crypt to the surface and eventually form a polyp," researchers explained.
However, exercising reduced high cellular proliferation in the colonic crypts and kept it at a normal level. The study also showed that body weight has no influence on the risk of colon cancer and men of all shapes and sizes can benefit from regular exercising.
McTiernan, a member of the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center pointed out: "Proliferation in the upper section of the colon crypt decreased among those exercising for a mean 250 minutes per week or greater, which is important because this pattern of proliferation is most associated with risk for colon cancer. These effects were independent of weight. Vigorous exercise was helpful for men of any size, as long as they worked out nearly every day."