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| Get off your… @Robert Daly, Getty Images |
According to an article in USA Today, more than 90,000 new cancer cases a year in the United States could be due to physical inactivity and prolonged periods of sitting.
Research presented at the American Institute for Cancer Research cites about 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 of colon cancer.
The calculations were based on physical activity data and cancer incidence statistics.
Alpa Patel, an American Cancer Society epidemiologist who looked at the data, says the numbers “seem like very reasonable estimates.”
“A brisk daily walk of at least 30 minutes could lower a person’s risk over time for breast cancer and colon cancer,” says Alice Bender, a registered dietitian with the cancer research institute.
In post-menopausal women, physical activity appears to decrease the risk of cancer by increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing body fat, inflammation, metabolic hormones and sex steroids hormones researchers say.
In any case, get off your butt, talk to your doctor and start an exercise program.
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