Sedentary as Activity and exercise that CANCER TRIGGERS

Activity and exercise

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that activity and exercise play a role in good health. But how many of us are regularly putting on our training shoes?

The WCRF and the AICR found that in South Africa for the period 2002/03, 44 per cent of men and 49 per cent of women between the ages of eighteen and sixty-nine were classified as sedentary. A ‘sedentary’ lifestyle is characterised by much sitting with little or no daily physical activity. This means that almost half our population is not exercising regularly, contributing to rising levels of obesity. ‘Although under nutrition remains a problem among rural children, obesity and associated diseases are also prevalent. There has been a misconception of “benign obesity”: being thin is associated with HIV and AIDS, and moderately overweight women are thought of as attractive and affluent.’

Inactivity is not just a South African trend. Generally, physical activity has been declining globally since the seventies, as household work has become more mechanised and vehicles are used more often for transport. Even though the WHO recommends at least thirty minutes of physical activity on most days, at least 60 per cent of the world’s population are not meeting these recommendations.

Exercise is important for overall health not just because it helps maintain body weight, but also because it helps to control factors like blood pressure. In addition, Mat says, ‘exercise also helps you to connect with your body. When you exercise you can feel when your body is more tired or if there is a distinct pain somewhere.’

As we have seen, obesity and being overweight is a big factor when it comes to environmental causes of cancer. Exercise can therefore also be very beneficial for the prevention and treatment of cancer. The Copenhagen Male Study, for example, headed by Dr Inge Haunstrup Clemmensen from the Cancer Foundation in Denmark, has significantly contributed to evidence that exercise can help prevent cancer. It studied over 5 000 men over twentythree years and showed that immune centres were strengthened by moderate physical exercise, thus preventing the growth of cancer. It also showed that exercise helped prevent intestinal cancer, cancers of the digestive tract and oesophageal cancers.

The Queensland Cancer Council also singles out physical activity as a vital factor in maintaining good health. It recommends just thirty minutes of moderate-intensity activity every day by thinking of ovement as an opportunity, rather than an inconvenience, and making a habit of walking or cycling rather than driving. It also suggests incorporating some vigorous exercise into daily physical activity for extra health and fitness.

The South African organisation People Living With Cancer (PLWC) 19 also recommends regular physical activity, based on research done by the ACS, which suggests that regular physical activity is associated with reduced risk of several cancer types. Although the impact of physical activity on the prognosis of people with cancer is less clear, increased levels of physical activity can improve overall quality of life and result in less fatigue, lower levels of anxiety, increased energy and a renewed sense of vitality. PLWC encourages cancer patients and their families to engage in moderate regular physical activity, defined as activities that make a person breathe as hard as they would during a brisk walk, such as walking, biking and swimming, as well as working in the garden and brisk house cleaning. If a cancer patient is confined to bed rest or is unable to do thirty minutes of activity a day, it is recommended that limited physical therapy is initiated. However, the patient’s performance status and physical ability should be considered and no pressure should be placed on really ill patients.