If you or someone in your life has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, listen up. New research has found that prostate cancer patients who regularly workout at a vigorous intensity may lower their risk of dying from the disease.
The study appears in the Jan. 4 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and is the first of its kind to look at exercise’s effect on men with prostate cancer after diagnosis. The men in the study who got three hours or more a week of high intensity biking, tennis, jogging or swimming had a 33 percent lower risk for dying from any cause and a 35 percent lower risk for dying from prostate cancer than men who worked out less than nine hours per week.
Although regularly doing vigorous activity gave the men the strongest benefit of all, scientists report that any type of exercise – even at a low-intensity pace – can help with overall survival. In the study, men who got between five and 10 hours per week of low-intensity exercise, such as walking, had a 28 percent lower risk for all-cause mortality compared with men who engaged in less than one hour per week of similar exercise. Men who exercised at a low-intensity for more than 10 hours a week really saw benefits: Their risk of dying from all causes plummeted 51 percent.
The study’s authors say that more research is needed on the topic, but that this is a promising study on the power of exercise in not just reducing the risk of cancer but cancer mortality.
I know that new research comes out all the time on the amazing power of exercise to reduce disease, improve mood and improve health, but sometimes I’m just so amazed at all the things it can do. Talk about a magic bullet!