Cancer risk slashed through short bursts of vigorous daily activity
A total of just 4.5 minutes of vigorous activity could reduce the risk of some cancers by up to 32 per cent even if no other exercise is performed throughout the day
Just 4½ minutes of vigorous activity could reduce the risk of some cancers by up to 32 per cent even if no other exercise is performed throughout the day.
That’s the finding from researchers at the University of Sydney who tracked the daily activity of more than 22,000 “non-exercisers” and matched the data with the group’s clinical health records for close to seven years to monitor for cancer.
The researchers found that performing as few as four to five minutes of what has been dubbed “vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity” – essentially anything that makes you huff and puff – slashed the chances of developing cancer.
The research is published in the journal JAMA Oncolology.
It’s the latest finding from the intensive study of what the scientists from the Charles Perkins Centre have dubbed VILPA, with earlier research concluding that three to four one-minute bursts of huffing and puffing during daily tasks was associated with large reductions in the risk of premature death, particularly from cardiovascular disease.
VILPA encompasses short bursts of everyday activity of around one minute in duration performed with gusto, and includes walking up stairs, bursts of power walking, running for a bus, vigorous housework, carrying heavy shopping bags, or playing high-energy games with children.
Research performed by the Charles Perkins Centre scientists and published late last year in the journal Nature found short bursts of VILPA several times throughout the day resulted in a reduction of all-cause and cancer-related mortality of around 40 per cent, and up to a 49 per cent reduction in death related to cardiovascular disease.
The findings were regarded as very important in a context in which many people did not perform regular planned daily exercise but could add more short bursts of physical activity into a day without much extra effort.
“VILPA is a bit like applying the principles of high-intensity interval training to your everyday life,” said lead author Emmanuel Stamatakis of the Charles Perkins Centre.
“We know most middle-aged people don’t regularly exercise, which puts them at increased cancer risk but it’s only through the advent of wearable technology like activity trackers that we are able to look at the impact of short bursts of incidental physical activity as part of daily living,” Professor Stamatakis said.
“It’s quite remarkable to see that upping the intensity of daily tasks for as little as four to five minutes a day, done in short bursts of around one minute each, is linked to an overall reduction in cancer risk by up to 18 per cent, and up to 32 per cent for cancer types linked to physical activity.”
Cancers associated with a lack of physical activity include bowel and breast cancer, and possibly prostate, uterine and lung cancers, according to the Cancer Council. The organisation estimates 14 per cent of colon cancers and 11 per cent of post-menopausal breast cancers are attributable to low or no physical activity.
Lower rates of breast and bowel cancers in people who are more physically active are believed to relate to regulation of hormones and the effect of exercise on the speed at which food passes through the bowel, reducing contact with carcinogens.
