Moderate exercise could prevent 46,000 cancer cases annually

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CANCER DIGEST – Oct. 16, 2021 – More than 46,000 cancer cases annually could be prevented in the US if people could manage to get just five hours of moderate exercise per week, a new analysis shows.

The study led by Adair Minihan, MPH at the American Cancer Society analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and compared exercise rates and cancer rates in various regions of the country. The results found a strong correlation between cancer rates and inactivity. The findings appear in the Oct. 4, 2021 journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Excercise.

“Our results indicate that promoting physical activity through broad implementation of interventions could prevent many cancer cases," the authors concluded. "Over 46,000 cancer cases annually could be potentially avoided if the American population met the recommended 5 hours/week of moderate-intensity (or 15 (MET)-hours/week) physical activity.”

The BRFSS is a system of ongoing national telephone surveys that collect state data about US residents regarding health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventative services. The system has been operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 1984 and collects data on all 50 states.

The study investigators used data from the BRFSS to analyze cancer rates for breast, endometrial, colon, stomach, kidney, throat and urinary bladder cancers in relation to physical inactivity in a state-by-state analysis. Optimal physical activity was defined as 5 or more hours of moderate-intensity activity per week.

The data showed that 16.9% of stomach cancers, 11.9% of endometrial cancers, 11% of kidney cancers, 9.3% of colon cancers, 8.1% of throat cancers, 6.5% of female breast cancers, and 3.9% of bladder cancers were linked to lack of exercise.

When they compared the cancer rates and exercise rates by state they found that Utah had the lowest cancer rates at 2.3% attributable to inactivity while Kentucky had the highest rates at 3.7% of cancers due to inactivity. Overall, for both men and women the study showed that cancer rates were highest in the South with Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi having the highest cancer rates due to inactivity.

By contrast states with the lowest cancer rates due to inactivity were Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Washington and Wisconsin, which all ranked higher for rates of moderate activity. The study also showed that barriers to getting exercise including lack of time due to long working hours, low-wage jobs, the cost of gym memberships, or lack of safe environment to exercise in disproportionately affected black and poor populations, and underscores the need to address health equity.

Sources: American Cancer Society press release, and  Medicine & Science in Sports & Excercise and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BRFSS website.