Referring to results of a recent JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Oncology study, CNN Fitness writes that even a few minutes of vigorous daily exercise lowers the risks of cancer. The daily activities referred in the article include power walking, climbing stairs, engaging in strenuous household work, or even playing with kids.
Dr. Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at the Charles Perkins Centre and faculty of medicine and health at the University of Sydney in Australia, and also lead author of the study, told CNN “Until recently we knew very little about activities done as part of daily living that reach vigorous intensity. The large majority of middle aged and older adults, more than 70-80% in most countries, are not regular exercisers in leisure time, or simply never do any exercise.”
CNN fitness contributor Dana Santas, a mind-body coach for professional athletes, told that it’s important to know how vigorous activity affects the health of many people because t may be easier to manage.
Dr Stamatakis added to CNN that there is no need to switch to those spurts for people who do get regular exercise, instead the results opened up the more option. “The principle here is that the best physical activity regimen is the one every person can fit into their weekly or daily routine.”
Explaining the mechanism how such short exercise reduce cancer risk, Dr. Stamatakis told CNN “Previous early-stage trials (showed) that VILPA leads to rapid improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness, in turn is linked to less insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, both of which are major risk factors for cancer.”
Dr. Keith Diaz, assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, who was reportedly not involved in the study, told CNN “Research is gaining new insights into what a healthy movement profile looks like. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be just spending an hour every day at the gym.”
Santas added to CNN “A lot of us have electric toothbrushes that have a two-minute timer on them. Now you’re doing that every day, hopefully twice a day. You realize how quickly a minute goes by. It’s not intimidating, and it’s easier and it makes you start to quickly feel healthier because you’re like, ‘I can do it’. You’re doing it consistently, and it makes you proud of yourself.”