Researchers at the American Cancer Society and the Harvard Medical School in the United States conducted a study that revealed that physical activity in leisure for 7.5 to 15 hours per week reduces the risk of seven types of cancer, most notably the colon, breast, kidney and liver.
The study, whose results were published, in the latest issue of the scientific journal (Clinical Oncology), showed that although physical activity has been linked to a reduced risk of several types of cancer for a long time, the form of the relationship between sport and cancer prevention is still less clear.
The researchers added that the updated guidelines for physical activity currently recommend that people should engage in moderate-intensity physical activity ranging from 2.5 to 5 hours per week or 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of vigorous activity.
The study stated that moderate or medium-intensity activities are those that make you move fast enough or strong enough to burn three to six times the energy the body needs in a minute, such as sitting quietly. As for activities that are intense, they make the body burn more than 6 times the energy that the body needs When a person sits quietly.
In the current study, the researchers measured the positive effect that physical activities can have on leisure people such as walking, running, cycling, and stair climbing.
The study involved following 750,000 participants, and the team based on the physical activity data that the participants self-reported. The researchers found that engaging in physical activities for 7.5 to 15 hours a week was associated with a lower risk of seven types of cancer.
The researchers pointed out that this activity was linked to reducing the risk of colon cancer in men by 8 percent among those who engage in physical activities for 7 and a half hours per week, and the percentage rose to 14 percent in those who engage in activities for 15 hours per week.
Physical activity was also associated with reducing the risk of breast cancer in females by 6 to 10 percent, endometrial cancer by 10 to 18 percent, kidney cancer by 11 to 17 percent, leukemia by 14 to 19 percent, and liver cancer by 18 To 27 percent, and lymphoma by 11 to 18 percent.
"These results provide direct quantitative support for recommended levels of activity for cancer prevention and provide practical evidence for ongoing and future cancer prevention efforts," said Dr. Alba Patel, team leader. He added that "following the guidelines for physical activity largely protects against chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well."
According to the World Health Organization, cancer is one of the most common causes of death around the world, accounting for 13% of all deaths of the world's population annually. Lung, stomach, liver, colon, breast and cervical cancers cause most of the deaths that occur each year from cancer, according to the organization.