Many studies have shown that physical activity helps the body get rid of extra pounds, thus reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and various forms of cancer. Colon cancer makes no exception, according to data pulled from 52 published studies.

 

The review, which was the work of Dr. Kathleen Y Wolin of the Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, appeared online in the British Journal of Cancer.

 

Wolin and her colleagues analyzed a total of 52 studies going back to 1984. They found that people who exercised the most, had a 24 percent lower risk of developing colon cancer.

 

“This study confirms previous studies reporting an inverse association between physical activity and colon cancer in both men and women, and provides quantitative estimates of the inverse association,” the authors concluded.

 

Colon cancer’s risk factors include age (those older than 50 years are more exposed to the disease), family history, personal medical history and lifestyle (smoking, heavy alcohol use, inactivity, obesity). Many individuals with colon cancer have no symptoms until the disease spreads to other organs. Early detection is a key element to defeat colon cancer, as colorectal cancer may be successfully treated and often cured.

 

About 150,000 people were expected to be diagnosed with colon cancer last year and about 50,000 to die from it, according to estimates of the American Cancer Society. A recent study has concluded that colonoscopies may prevent about 60 to 70 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer.