Five hours of physical activity per week helps in preventing cancer: Study

If Americans meet five hours per week of moderate-intensity recommended physical activity guidelines, then more than 46,000 cancer cases annually in the United States could be prevented.

Published in the journal 'Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise', the data noted that three per cent of all cancer cases in adults in the US aged 30 years and older during 2013 to 2016 was due to physical inactivity. Also, the proportion was higher in women compared to men.

The maximum number of cases were in the South, such as Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi, whereas the lowest proportions were found in the Mountain region and northern states, such as Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The data highlights specific cancer sites, including 16.9 per cent of stomach cancers, 11.9 per cent of endometrial cancers, 11.0 per cent of kidney cancers, 9.3 per cent of colon cancers, 8.1 per cent of oesophagal cancers, 6.5 per cent of female breast cancers, and 3.9 per cent of urinary bladder cancers.

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State-wise, the proportion of cancer cases attributable to physical inactivity ranged from 2.3 per cent in Utah to 3.7 per cent in Kentucky.

The author wrote, "These findings underscore the need to encourage physical activity as a means of cancer prevention and implement individual- and community-level interventions that address the various behavioural and socioeconomic barriers to recreational physical activity. Understanding and reducing the behavioural and socioeconomic barriers to physical activity is essential for optimising intervention strategies targeting at-risk groups across the country."

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The data highlights the importance of physical activity. 

It talks about how there are many barriers to recreational physical activity, which include, lack of time due to long working hours in low-wage jobs, the cost of gym memberships or personal equipment. 

The lack of access to a safe environment also contributes to the lack of physical activity.