The case name of colorectal cancer is in increase in the worldespecially among those under 50. Recently, he is the actor James Van Der Beekknown for playing the role of Dawson in the series of the same name in the late 1990s who announced he was suffering from it. As a reminder, colorectal cancer is “a malignant tumor of the mucosa (inner lining) of the colon or rectum”explains Health Insurance, which specifies that it is the third most common cancer in men (after prostate cancer and lung cancer) and the second in women (after cancer be you).
To reduce the risks, researchers at the University of Regensburg, in Germany, studied the effects ofphysical activity on the risk of developing this cancer. They found that people who engaged in physical activity in the morning and evening had a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Their results are published in the magazine BMC Medicine.
Exercising in the morning and evening reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 11%
To arrive at these results, the researchers based themselves on data from 86,252 participants registered in the UK Biobank, a long-term study to analyze the effects of environmental exposure on the development of certain diseases. The volunteers wore an accelerometer, a device capable of measuring physical activity. Their state of health was monitored for 5 years.
In their methodology, the authors explain that they classified the participants into 4 groups based on their physical activity:
- those who had continuous activity throughout the day;
- those who had an activity at the end of the day;
- those who had activity in the morning and evening;
- those who had activity at midday and in the evening.
Over the period studied, experts identified 529 cases of colorectal cancer. But not all people have the same risks of developing this cancer. Indeed, those who showed a peak of activity around 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. “were associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, beyond the benefits of overall physical activity”.
Physical activity, diet… Good reflexes to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer
More specifically, having physical activity in the morning and evening was associated with an 11% reduction in risk, compared to 6% for people who were active throughout the day. The authors specify that these results remained consistent when taking into account factors that could increase the risk of cancer, such as smoking.
In light of these results, Professor Michael Leitzmann, president of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine in Regensburg and principal investigator of the study, recalled the importance of physical activity, before emphasizing that in “id specific times, early in the morning and late in the day, when physical activity is most beneficialour results open new avenues for targeted prevention strategies”.
As a reminder, the National Cancer Institute (Inca) emphasizes that physical activity and the consumption of fruits and vegetables are protective factors. On the contrary, they listed certain risk factors linked to diet, such as alcohol consumption, overweight and obesity or even the consumption of red meats and cold meats.
Sources :
- Diurnal timing of physical activity and risk of colorectal cancer in the UK Biobank – BMC Medicine (18/10/2024)
- Institut national du cancer (Inca) – Cancer colorectal
- Health insurance
