That extra minute of exercise can reduce your risk of cancer by 14 percent

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In 2022, more than half a million Germans were diagnosed with cancer. Over 200,000 people die from it every year. Shocking numbers – especially considering that around half of all cancers are preventable, according to experts. The right precautionary measures are important for this.

Study: Intensive sport significantly reduces cancer risk

Australian scientists have now been able to show in a new study that sport in particular plays a significant role in this. The team analyzed to what extent intense physical activity reduced the risk of developing cancer – compared to people who did not exercise. In doing so, it established:

3.4 to 3.6 minutes intense physical activity during the day reduced the overall cancer risk by 17 to 18 percent.
4.5 minutes intense physical activity during the day even reduced the overall cancer risk by 31 to 32 percent.

This means that those who train just one minute more instead of 3.6 minutes, namely 4.5 minutes, have a 14 percent lower risk of cancer. So an extra minute makes a significant difference.

The team published their findings in the journal Jama Oncology. It examined the disease data of over 20,000 people. Their average age was 62 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define vigorous-intensity aerobic activity as “that you breathe heavily and rapidly and your heart rate increases significantly”.

You can use the speech test to measure the intensity of your aerobic physical activity, the experts point out. “When you’re moving intensely, you can’t say more than a few words without pausing for breath.” The CDC gives the following examples of activities that require great effort:

Jog or run Swimming laps Riding a fast bike or playing one-on-one tennis on hills Playing basketball

If you engage in moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking or hiking, you can talk but not sing during the activity.

Overall, the results indicated “that even low doses of vigorous physical activity were associated with a lower risk of cancer,” the researchers emphasize. At the same time, the results indicate a “promising intervention” for cancer prevention in populations who are unable – or not motivated enough – to play sports.

Nine things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer

Cancer and prevention researchers have known for some time how important it is to take preventative measures. In addition to intensive sport, you have summarized the following measures:

These preventive or preventative measures include:

Avoid being overweight Move every day Eat healthy Don’t smoke Drink as little alcohol as possible Avoid carcinogenic substances Protect from UV radiation Vaccination against cancer (hepatitis B; HPV) Use offers for early cancer detection