Fitness for Cancer Prevention and Cancer Support
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, an important time to acknowledge the steps people can take to detect, and even prevent, this and all types cancer. But for many sufferers, a battle with cancer represents a relentless challenge, dominating every month of the year. So this January, let’s broaden our perspective and look at how physical fitness and activity can reduce the risk of different cancers and act as a support tool for those already diagnosed.
The Statistics Around Cancer Diagnosis
The stats around cancer diagnosis are sobering, and it’s likely that you’ve been impacted by cancer in some way. In the UK, statistics reveal that 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. In 2020 alone, there were over 375,000 new cancer cases.
The most prevalent cancers include breast, prostate, lung, and bowel cancer. Breast cancer primarily affects women, with approximately 55,000 cases annually, whereas prostate cancer is the most common in men, with about 48,000 new cases each year. While lung cancer sees high rates in all genders, it is particularly prevalent in those over 50. Understanding who is most at risk helps in tailoring prevention strategies and lifestyle interventions, with physical fitness being one such measure.
Can Fitness and Exercise Help Cancer Patients?
Medical support obviously plays a key role in managing and treating cancer. But lifestyle choices and healthy habits can also have a significant impact. Some things are well known (not smoking, reducing alcohol intake), whilst others are less tangible. Healthy eating, stress management, and physical exercise are all seemingly small healthy behaviours that can have a measurable impact on cancer risk, recovery from treatment, and severity of symptoms.
Research continues to underline the many benefits of physical activity for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Exercise can reduce the risk of a cancer diagnosis, help manage symptoms, support recovery and rehabilitation from treatment, and improve mental wellbeing.
How Does Physical Exercise Help Prevent Cancer?
The relationship between physical exercise and cancer prevention is supported by a substantial body of scientific research. Regular physical activity has been linked with a decreased risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast, colon, liver, oesophageal, and stomach cancers. But how does exercise work its magic against these horrible diseases?
Every type of cancer is different, but we know that – in general – regular physical activity helps regulate body weight and control weight gain, which is a risk factor for many cancers. Exercise also influences levels of certain hormones, such as oestrogen and insulin, which can fuel cancer growth. Exercise improves immune system efficiency, enabling it to monitor and eliminate mutated cells before they can develop into cancer.
The Impact of Exercise on Specific Cancers
- Breast Cancer – Studies suggest that physical activity can reduce the risk of breast cancer by maintaining a healthy body weight and minimising oestrogen levels. Regular exercise also helps the lymphatic system function efficiently, which can impact breast cancer risk.
- Colorectal Cancer – Exercise enhances immune responses, reduces inflammation, accelerates digestion, and supports gut health, which reduces the length of time potential carcinogens are in contact with the intestinal lining.
- Endometrial Cancer – Higher physical activity levels are linked with a lower risk of endometrial cancer, as exercise helps manage hormone levels, body weight, and body composition.
How Can Those With Cancer Use Exercise to Relieve Symptoms?
Physical exercise can be a powerful tool for reducing cancer risk, but it’s also an important way to improve quality of life for those living with a cancer diagnosis. Whether the person is receiving treatment or not, exercise is a robust adjunct for symptom management. Cancer patients often face fatigue, nausea, and muscle atrophy, not to mention emotional challenges like anxiety and anger. Physical activity offers a way to take matters somewhat into their own hands and alleviate the physical and emotional impact.
- Energy – It might seem counterintuitive, but exercise is known to boost energy and offset fatigue, a common side effect of cancer and its treatments. Even short amounts of gentle exercise can improve energy levels and quality of life.
- Musculoskeletal Health – Cancer treatment can lead to loss of muscle tissue and bone density. Resistance training helps maintain muscle and bone mass, aiding recovery and making everyday activities a little easier.
- Mental Wellbeing – Receiving a cancer diagnosis, dealing with treatment, and living with physical symptoms is often a scary and bewildering experience. Physical exercise can give the person something else to focus on for a while and can be an empowering activity.
What Types of Exercise Are Best for Certain Cancers?
The best type of exercise is always the one a person wants to do and feels able to do regularly. This is no less true when living with cancer. It might be difficult for a person with cancer to think about doing formal exercise, so remember that something is better than nothing. Walking, gentle yoga, or light resistance training are all very valid options. If they want to optimise their exercise, here’s the best combination:
- Aerobic or Cardiovascular Exercise – Anything that raises the heart rate, like walking, cycling, exercise classes, gym machines, or swimming, is excellent for heart health and energy.
- Resistance Training – Anything that places the joints and muscles under some tension, including bodyweight exercises, free weights, gym weights machines, or resistance bands, helps build and maintain muscle mass and bone density.
- Flexibility and Balance Exercise – Yoga, tai chi, dance, and Pilates support balance, co-ordination, and flexibility and act as a stress management tool for physical and mental wellbeing.
How Does Physical Fitness Help Mental Wellbeing in Cancer Patients?
Cancer diagnosis and treatment takes a psychological toll. Physical fitness isn’t just beneficial for the body – it’s a key element of mental wellbeing, too. Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s mood-lifting chemicals, which help reduce anxiety, depression, and stress levels. It’s empowering, too, and may help cancer patients feel more in control of their body at a profoundly unstable time. Exercise might also help cancer patients relax and even sleep better, which will impact their general wellbeing.
For cancer patients, physical activity promotes a sense of accomplishment and control, even in the face of treatment or a frightening prognosis. The stability of an exercise routine can be a way to focus on recovery.
How Does Fitness Help Family Members and Carers of Cancer Patients?
Cancer has a ripple effect through the lives of family members and carers, often leading to stress, sleep deprivation, and loss of previous healthy habits. Physical fitness can be a powerful tool for those affected by cancer.
- Stress Management – Exercise is a natural way to alleviate stress, helping carers manage the emotional and logistical upheaval. Whilst it might feel odd to take time out for yourself to exercise, try not to feel guilty. Look at it as a way to help you be a better carer.
- Improved Sleep – You need to sleep when caring for someone with cancer. Regular exercise will help your brain and body unwind, and will boost the quality of your sleep so you can maintain your mood and energy.
- Emotional Resilience – When someone you love has cancer, you are likely to feel a huge range of emotions from stress and overwhelm to anger and intense worry. Exercise can be an outlet for stress, a small pocket of me-time, and a way to support your own health.
Whether you’re living with cancer or supporting someone with a diagnosis, remember that seemingly small healthy habits can have a big impact on your health and wellbeing. Even a small amount of gentle exercise can help make this difficult time a little easier to cope with.
