Today, I want to explore a cancer-fighting secret hiding in plain site.
Small bursts, big impact: Even a few minutes of intense activity can make a difference in cancer prevention.
A patient recently asked me how much exercise one needs to do to reduce cancer risk.
The answer is complex, but I thought of one study that turned traditional exercise ideas on their head.
Here’s what may be a game-changer for you if you struggle to find time for the gym:
A study focusing on non-exercising adults discovered that as little as 3–4 minutes of this ‘incidental’ activity per day was linked to a significant decrease in overall cancer risk.
The reduction was even more striking for certain types of cancer closely tied to physical activity.
Background
Studies show that more intense exercise, like vigorous physical activity, may be better at reducing the risk of certain cancers, such as breast and colon cancer, than lighter exercise.
However, many patients find it hard to fit regular, intense workouts into their busy lives.
That’s where vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity comes in — it’s about short bursts of intense activity throughout the day, like quickly walking up stairs or power-walking to catch a bus.
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Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity is brief and sporadic (for example, up to a minute or two).
My favorite activities include walking very fast.
I sometimes do stair climbing when I work in the hospital.
Questionnaires are not optimal for tracking this form of physical activity.
I am delighted to see that researchers used wearable monitors to track subjects.
What is the connection between vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and the development of new cancer cases?
And what is the minimum amount of VILPA you need to do to see a cancer risk reduction?
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Here are the striking results:
The study showed a clear link: the more vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity people did each day, the lower their risk of getting cancer.
Even just four to five minutes of daily vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity significantly lowered cancer risk.
Do you take the elevator or stairs?
What about brisk walking?
I am excited that we now have wearable devices that can track physical activity in people who don’t exercise or who don’t like formal workouts.
I love that we have many ways to reduce cancer risk, especially for those who find it challenging to fit traditional exercise into their lives.
Thank you for reading “A Cancer-Fighting Secret.”
