Cancer Patients Should Follow Lance Armstrong's Lead

Lance Armstrong, famous cyclist and cancer survivor, is proof that exercise can help people beat cancer, and now there’s research to back it up. After reviewing over sixty studies, researchers found that people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation could benefit greatly from regular exercise. Although cancer patients may not feel strong enough to jog or cycle, the findings support the idea that boosting physical activity will improve mental and physical health, strengthen the patient’s quality of life and help monitor body weight. The findings of the research say it all. Among women with breast cancer, those who exercise for 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity have more than a 40% lower risk of dying compared with those who don’t exercise. Additionally, studies on bowel cancer prove the risk of dying is cut by about 50% in patients who exercise for six hours a week. Also, prostate cancer patients have a 57% lower rate of disease progression if they exercise regularly. Instead of instructing patients to “rest up”, doctors should be urging them to get up and move. Although not a proven cure for cancer, exercise is definitely a step in the right direction.