Research says yoga and walking can cut the risk of cancer spreading or returning

Physical activity helps patients

Just 30 minutes of walking or yoga can contribute to lower levels of fatigue. Image: Unsplash

Walking and yoga could be more beneficial for our health than we thought, with new research suggesting these activities have the ability to reduce the risk of death in cancer patients.

We know that doing some form of movement each day is good for our health, even as little as 11 minutes of walking a day has proven benefits for a longer life.

And while it may sound hard to believe that such a low-impact activity can be so vital for our health, researchers say the science is there.

New research released this week shows that your daily walk or a quick 10-minute yoga routine, plays a major role in managing the long-term health of cancer patients.

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According to collated research from three separate studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 30 minutes of walking or yoga can contribute to lower levels of fatigue in cancer patients and help to reduce the likelihood of the disease from spreading further throughout the body, or from coming back after treatment.

The research marks a major turning point in the care for cancer patients as in the past there has been a weight of hesitancy surrounding the encouragement of exercise, especially during treatment.

Walking is a great form of moderate exercise regardless of your health status. Image: Getty

What did the studies reveal?

The first study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, focused on the impact of yoga, investigating its ability to reduce inflammation in cancer patients, thus mitigating the expansion of the disease.

The research required 500 patients over the age of 56 where treatment had been administered previously between two months and five years to participate in two 75-minute yoga classes a week for four weeks to assess the effects on their cancer.

After four weeks, the study group were found to have “significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory markers” compared to the other cancer patients who did not participate in yoga. 

The second study conducted a similar test, this time investigating the impact of yoga on fatigue levels and general quality of life. After four weeks, the data found that yoga proved to reduce the levels of fatigue felt in patients currently undergoing cancer treatment.

The final of the three studies was a more general assessment of movement and its connection to mitigating cancer symptoms in current patients. The research, which assessed the activity of over 2,600 cancer patients, concluded that patients who are active, be it by walking, running, or participating in yoga or Pilates have a reduced risk of dying from their cancer than other patients.

Yoga was shown to reduce the feeling of fatigue in patients. Image: Getty

Combining these three studies, all of which conclude that patients who remain active during their treatment are likely to mitigate their symptoms more so than those who are less active, gave a conclusive result that cancer patients who live a more sedentary lifestyle are more likely to die of their disease than those who are active.

While this is a relatively breakthrough finding in the support for cancer patients, it’s important to remember the number of additional factors that determine a person’s cancer journey, including age, severity, and hereditary factors.

However, the research does remind us just how important regular activity is for our overall health, even if it is as low-impact and leisurely as a 30-minute stroll or yoga class.

Originally published as Research says yoga and walking can cut the risk of cancer spreading or returning