Glaucoma
Dr. Michael Passo of Oregon Health Sciences University (this is in my neck of the woods) has found that starting a walking program lowered the intraocular pressure of 40 sedentary individuals, which decreased their risk of glaucoma. He has found that exercise also lowers the pressure for those with glaucoma. Walk for sight! Interesting, since the first volksmarch I ever attended was for the Lion's eye program. Reference at the Glaucoma Research Foundation.
Breast Cancer Reduced By Exercise
Researchers at the University of Tromso, Norway, found that physical activity during leisure time and at work was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, as reported in the May 1, 1997 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study was on over 26,000 women and confirms several earlier epidemiologic studies on the benefits of moderate exercise in preventing breast cancer.
Chemotherapy side effects reduced by exercise.
The finding that exercise can reduce side effects from high dose chemotherapy was reported from a study at Freiburg University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany and published in the May 1, 1997 issue of the journal CANCER. While the study was small, its results were impressive.
Walking Prevents Colon Cancer
A large study of 80,000 men and women in Scandinavia in the 1970's uncovered the role of walking and other exercise in preventing colon cancer. Moderate recreational activity was enough to bring a 40% reduction in the risk of colon cancer among women. Only those men who were over 45 at the time of entry into the study clearly benefited from physical activity when it came to colorectal cancer. The theory is that walking, by speeding up the speed up the passage of ingested foods through the colon, gives less time for carcinogens in the food to be in contact with the intestinal lining. Cancer was most reduced for the beginning (proximal) portion of the colon, less for the end (distal) portion of the colon and little or no effect on rectal cancer risk.
Walk Away From Cancer!
This is a personal subject for me. I lost one grandmother to breast cancer and one to colon cancer. I am relieved to discover that my chosen hobby, walking, can give me a better chance of not following in their footsteps. More information on the studies above is also available from the American Cancer Society. Let's walk together on the road to a long and healthy life!
