Nine prospective studies by various American research institutes, such as the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, have shown that there is a link between physical activity and the risk of getting cancer. According to the study, the risk of getting cancer decreases the more the 750,000 participants in the studies exercise. For seven out of 15 types of cancer (colorectal cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, kidney cancer, myeloma, liver cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) a significantly lower cancer risk (between six and 27 percent depending on the type of cancer) could be determined via the so-called metabolic equivalent (MET), which decreased the more the level of activity was increased. A MET corresponds to the basal metabolic rate of a person at rest, i.e., with sedentary activity, for example. Moderate physical exertion in the form of walking or light cycling then consumes three to six METs per hour. Recommended here is 2.5 to five hours of moderate activity to reduce the risk of these cancers. More intensive exercise such as jogging consumes more than six times the amount of sitting (over six METs per hour) and should therefore be calculated at 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week to significantly reduce the risk. 20 to 25 minutes of walking or cycling is sufficient to promote cancer prevention, according to study authors like Dr. Alpa Patel. Exercise recommendations such as those for people with cardiovascular disease and diabetes are therefore also valid for protecting against cancer, according to the summary of the cancer experts of the American Cancer Society, which was also published in the „Journal of Clinical Oncology“ as a bundled analysis.
