Studies: Brisk walks could reduce cancer risk, and help women with breast cancer recover; Ky.'s cancer death rate is tops

photo: Huffington Post

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Just 25 minutes of brisk walking" every day could reduce your risk of cancer and also help people who already have the disease, according to two recent studies.

Kentucky leads the U.S. in annual cancer deaths at almost 512 per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The studies were were presented at this year's American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, says a Yale University news release.

One trial that looked only at cancer patients found that exercising for at least 150 minutes a week "influenced survival rate and the progression of the disease," India's NDTV Food Desk reports. This study also found that eating more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less processed foods also had a "positive effect" on these patients.

The other study, at Yale, tracked almost 5,000 patients with breast cancer and found that three hours of brisk walking a week was associated with a 46 percent decrease in death rates.

"After treatment, weight loss is the most powerful thing you can do. It is the next best pill to treatment, and it is free, and has no side effects," said Melinda Irwin of Yale. "Every woman diagnosed with breast cancer should be counseled about weight loss and weight management, and about the role of exercise."

NDTV reports, "Scientists found that a daily brisk walk of 25 minutes almost halved the mortality among breast cancer patients while a waistline larger than 35 inches rose death rates by a third."

Cancer Research UK told NDTV, "Men with early-stage prostate cancer may benefit from walking briskly for at least three hours per week."