High proportion of physical activity can beat 13 types of cancer: Study

A new study has found that high levels of leisure-time physical activity can now lower the risk of 13 types of cancers.

Researchers have found that higher levels of physical activity compared to lower levels were associated with lower risks of 13 of 26 cancers: esophageal adenocarcinoma (42 percent lower risk); liver (27 percent lower risk); lung (26 percent lower risk); kidney (23 percent lower risk); gastric cardia (22 percent lower risk).

Additionally, endometrial (21 percent lower risk); myeloid leukemia (twenty percent lower risk); myeloma (seventeen percent lower risk); colon (sixteen percent lower risk); head and neck (fifteen percent lower risk), rectal (thirteen percent lower risk); bladder (thirteen percent lower risk); and breast (ten percent lower risk). Most of the associations remained regardless of body size or smoking history,

Overall, a higher level of physical activity was associated with a seven percent lower risk of total cancer.

Physical activity was associated with a five percent higher risk of prostate cancer and a twenty seven percent higher risk of malignant melanoma, an association that was significant in regions of the U.S. with higher levels of solar UV radiation but not in regions with lower levels, the results showed.

The authors noted that the main limitation of their study is that they cannot fully exclude the possibility that diet, smoking and other factors may affect the results.

"These findings support promoting physical activity as a key component of population-wide cancer prevention and control efforts," the authors conclude.

The study is published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.