Spending just half an hour on an exercise bike can help to prevent and treat bowel cancer, according to a study. Scientists have proven a connection between physical activity and the production of a specific protein in the bloodstream called IL6, which helps repair the DNA of damaged cells.

This process helps to prevent the development of bowel cancer and can even assist in limiting a tumour's growth if cancer does occur. The study has just been published in the International Journal of Cancer, ChronicleLive reports.

Dr Sam Orange, a former Rugby League player who is now a lecturer at Newcastle University, was part of the team behind the research. He said: "Evidence shows that physical activity is associated with reduced risk of certain cancers - one being bowel cancer - but we don't really know why. The prevailing thought has been around how exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight.

"But it's become more and more clear that physical activity reduces risk of cancer independently of weight - and we were really interested in why that might be. Every time you exercise there are a catalogue of changes in hormone levels and the levels of proteins in your blood - we wanted to see how these things alter the growth of cancer cells themselves."

The study involved taking 16 men aged between 50 and 80 - each of whom had "lifestyle risk factors" for bowel cancer such as being overweight or physically inactive - and testing their blood both before and after a 30-minute session on an exercise bike. Blood samples from after the exercise showed high levels of IL6, and these samples were then added to bowel cancer cells in a lab.

The scientists found that the samples with high amounts of the protein slowed the growth of the cancer cells. Similarly, they reduced the extent of DNA damage to the cells - which suggests that physical activity can repair cells to create a genetically stable cell type.

"It's important to note that exercise has such a widespread effect on our bodies so It's very likely there are more things involved," Dr Orange added. "But we've been able to establish the link between IL6 and cancer prevention.

"Understanding the process here can help develop new practical ways of preventing cancer. It helps us better understand how lifestyle like exercise reduce the risk of cancer. We can drill down into what the best kinds of exercise for this might be, but also potentially develop new drugs which might mimic the effects of exercise.

"There's also a really positive public health message: weight is a problem for a pretty large proportion of the population - and it's not something that's always in our control. But what this study shows is that each time you exercise you are changing the chemical make-up in your bloodstream. So each time you exercise [regardless of your weight] you are contributing to a reduction in your risk of cancer. "

Dr Adam Odell, a senior biosciences lecturer at York St John University, also worked on the study. Dr Odell said: "Importantly, it is not just bowel cancer risk that can be reduced by leading a more active lifestyle.

"Clear links exist between higher exercise levels and a lower risk of developing other cancers, such as cancers of the breast and endometrium. By working out a mechanism through which regular physical activity is able to produce anti-cancer effects, our study provides further support for current national and global efforts to increase exercise participation."

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/exercise-helps-fight-bowel-cancer-23639341

On 08/04/2022 19:35, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Spending just half an hour on an exercise bike can help to prevent and treat bowel cancer, according to a study. Scientists have proven a connection between physical activity and the production of a specific protein in the bloodstream called IL6, which helps repair the DNA of damaged cells.

In high-cycling 1950, average life spans were 66 for men and 72 for
women. As cycling declined, people became healthier and lived longer,
and with today's low level of cycling, people now live to 79 for men and
83 for women.

The data is clear: if you want to live, stay off bicycles.

--
Spike

What are the benefits of exercise?

Keeping active can help you lose weight or keep a healthy weight, which reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancer.
And if you’re exercising a lot, it can help prevent breast and bowel cancer.
Being active matters – it keeps your body and mind healthy, prevents disease and has many other benefits.

Not all cancers can be prevented, but there are proven ways you can reduce your risk. This page covers the benefits of exercise, including how it can help to reduce the risk of cancer.

Being active can also be helpful for many people with cancer during and after treatment. We have a separate page if you’d like to learn more about physical activity for people with cancer.

The more active you are, the greater the benefits could be. How might you and your family benefit from being more active?:

Keep a healthy weight
Reduce the risk of cancer
Improve mood and reduce stress
Reduce the risk of heart disease
Reduce the risk of osteoarthritis
Reduce the risk of dementia and depression
Reduce the risk of falls in older adults
Socialise
Learn new skills

You don’t need to become a marathon runner overnight, or join the gym to be more active – you don’t even have to leave your home. What counts as exercise may surprise you. From playing family games, to doing household chores, read our advice on how to be more active.

Keeping a healthy weight

Even adding small amounts of activity into your daily routine can help you lose weight or keep a healthy weight.

Keeping a healthy weight lowers your risk of 13 different cancer types. This includes 2 of the most common types of cancer (breast and bowel) and 3 of the hardest to treat cancers (pancreatic, oesophageal and gallbladder).

But we know that keeping a healthy weight isn’t always easy. If you’re thinking about losing weight, check out our 10 simple top tips for a healthy weight.

Learn more about weight and cancer risk.

How does exercise and being active help prevent breast cancer?

Being physically active lowers breast cancer risk by helping us to keep a healthy weight. And there’s also evidence that doing lots of exercise can prevent breast cancer directly, in ways not related to our weight.

Scientists are looking at how this might happen. Here are 2 possible ways being active could prevent breast cancer:
Reducing hormone levels

Both being active and the amount of fat you have can affect the levels of some types of hormones in the body. Hormones are chemical messages that move around the body to tell different parts what to do.

Oestrogen and insulin are hormones that could encourage breast cells to divide more often. If cells divide too much and grow out of control this can lead to cancer.

As keeping a healthy weight and doing lots of activity can reduce the levels of oestrogen and insulin in the body, this could help to prevent breast cancer.
Boosting the immune system

Being very active can give your immune system a boost, which makes it work more effectively. This means the body gets better at spotting cells which could go on to become cancer. It can then remove these cells before they cause harm.
How does exercise and being active help prevent bowel cancer?

We know that moving more and sitting less prevents bowel cancer by helping us to keep a healthy weight. There’s also evidence that being very physically active can reduce your risk of bowel cancer directly.

These are some of the possible ways being active could help to prevent bowel cancer:
Moving food through the bowel faster

The bowel helps us use the food we eat and breaks down anything we don’t need. This passes out of our bodies as poo.

Being active helps move food through our bodies faster. This means anything harmful in food waste spends less time in our bowel, which may help to prevent bowel cancer.
Reducing inflammation

Inflammation is a normal way our bodies respond to damage. But if there’s too much, it can cause our cells to multiply more often, increasing cancer risk.

Keeping a healthy weight reduces the risk of 13 cancer types. One of the reasons for this is that having less body fat can reduce inflammation levels around the body. It’s also possible that being very active helps prevent bowel cancer directly by reducing levels of inflammation in the bowel..
Does exercise and being active reduce lung cancer risk?

Being active doesn’t reduce the risk of lung cancer.

A few studies have shown a reduced risk in people who are more active, but some of these studies didn’t fully consider the effect of smoking.

In the UK, more than 7 in 10 lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. If you do smoke, stopping completely is the best thing you can do for your health. Read our ‘How do I stop smoking?’ page if you’re looking for free support to help you stop for good.
Should I try to sit down less?

Sitting or lying down for long periods of time throughout the day isn’t good for our health. Even people who do lots of exercise might spend too much time being inactive during the rest of the day.

It’s not yet clear if spending lots of time sitting or lying down can increase the risk of cancer. This is an area of research that is still developing. Most studies haven’t taken weight or physical activity fully into account. This means that the results could be misleading.

But if you do spend long periods of time sitting at home or at work, it’s a good idea to get up and move about more regularly. Try going for a glass of water, doing bits of housework, or walking on the spot when taking calls.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/physical-activity-and-cancer/what-are-the-benefits-of-exercise

Hilarious.