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How Exercise Protects You From Cancer
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
June 01 2006 | 13,787 views

ExerciseTwo new studies on mice show that exercise can act as a form of protection against skin and bowel cancer.

One study found that mice who used running wheels developed fewer and smaller skin tumors. The second study found that exercise reduced the number and size of intestinal polyps. One theory is that apoptosis (programmed cell death) is triggered by exercise, causing the cancer cells to die.

The studies also found that the number of tumors decreased along with body fat, which may be an additional factor.


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If you are like most people, when you think of exercising reducing your risk of cancer doesn't immediately come to mind. However, there is some fairly compelling evidence that exercise can slash your risk of cancer.

One of the likely ways exercise lowers your risk for cancer is by reducing elevated insulin levels. It is quite clear that high insulin levels are associated with an increased risk of cancer. About 75 years ago a German physician, Dr. Warburg, showed that cancers thrive in high-sugar environments.

The trick about exercise, though, is understanding how to use it as a precise tool. This ensures you are getting enough to achieve the benefit,  not too much to cause injury, and the right variety to balance your entire physical structure and maintain strength and flexibility, and aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels.

This is why it is helpful to view exercise like a drug that needs to be carefully prescribed to achieve its maximum benefit. If you need some help getting started, I urge you to review my beginner's exercise page. And, as an added benefit, exercise can make you smarter too.

I am also excited to introduce a leading personal trainer as a regular columnist. He has some amazing, simple and yet highly effective strategies to help you quickly build your fitness level in small amounts of time. I have been using his program for a few months now and have been highly impressed.

However, while exercise does just about everything right for you, you shouldn't rely on it exclusively to prevent cancer. It is my belief that omega-3 fats such as those found in krill oil are likely every bit as important as exercise.

Another powerful way to reduce cancer risk is by avoiding sugar. The combination of omega-3s, avoiding sugar and exercise is a powerful weapon for the prevention of just about any kind of cancer. And to practically eliminate your cancer risk altogether, take a look at my list of other major tips for avoiding cancer.



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