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Cancer survivors who exercise a lot may live longer than those who are not physically active, a study has found.
Researchers from New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee, and other medical centers conducted the study. They analyzed data of over 15,000 adults who received treatment for childhood cancer in the United States and Canada from 1970 to 1999. Specifically, they looked into how often, intense, and long the subjects exercised. Then, they scored the subjects’ weekly exercise levels based on a measurement called metabolic equivalent of task (MET).
Findings showed that cancer survivors who had three to six hours of weekly MET had a mortality rate of 8.6%. In contrast, survivors who had nine to 12 weekly MET hours had a 7.4% mortality rate. The study also found that those who increased exercise by eight hours per week for eight years had a 40% lower chance of dying early.
Lee Jones, the study’s senior author, said that cardiovascular disease is a major cause of untimely death among childhood cancer survivors. He also emphasized that exercising greatly benefits cancer survivors because it promotes a healthy heart. Additionally, intense exercise boosts the body’s immune system and eases the regulation of blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.
A 2013 analysis that examined the effects of physical activity on breast cancer survivors produced similar findings. Results revealed that survivors who engaged in more physical activities had a lower risk of death than those who did not. The analysis also suggested that walking tremendously benefits cancer survivors as compared to other types of physical activities.