Study Finds that Performing Daily Tasks with Vigor May Lower the Risk of Cancer

• Recent research indicates that incorporating vigorous daily tasks into your routine may lower your risk of cancer.
• Activities such as brisk walking and climbing stairs are considered vigorous according to the study authors.
• However, it is important to note that these daily tasks should not replace regular exercise.

Engaging in approximately 4 ½ minutes of vigorous activity each day has been found to reduce the risk of cancer, according to a recent study.

Vigorous activities include any physical tasks that make you breathe harder, such as climbing stairs, walking briskly, playing with children, and carrying heavy shopping bags, as explained by the co-authors of a study published in JAMA Oncology on July 27 in an article on The Conversation.

The researchers examined data from a UK database, which included information on the daily activities of 22,398 individuals collected through wearable devices worn for a week. None of the participants had a history of cancer, and they did not engage in regular exercise, meaning they did not exercise during their leisure time or go for walks. The team then monitored their health over a period of seven years.

The study revealed that engaging in a minimum of 3 ½ minutes of vigorous physical activity, consisting of bursts of approximately one minute, was associated with an 18% decrease in the risk of cancer. Moreover, participating in up to 4 ½ minutes of such activity daily was linked to a 32% reduced risk of certain cancers related to physical activity.

Vigorous activities are like HIIT workouts in daily life

The authors emphasize that 4 ½ minutes of vigorous activity is a small amount compared to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nevertheless, co-author Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity, lifestyle, and population health at the University of Sydney, stated in a press release that while further investigation through robust trials is necessary to confirm the link between vigorous activity and a lower risk of cancer, it seems to be a beneficial and cost-free option for individuals who find structured exercise challenging or unappealing.

Stamatakis highlighted that most middle-aged adults do not engage in regular exercise, putting them at risk for breast, endometrial, and colon cancer. Incorporating short bursts of vigorous exercise into one’s daily routine is comparable to applying the principles of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to everyday life, he explained.

Preliminary trials have indicated that daily vigorous activities have the potential to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness, insulin processing, and reduce inflammation, potentially explaining the association with a lower risk of cancer, according to the authors.

In an accompanying editorial, Linda S. Lindström, an associate professor of cancer epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, who was not involved in the study, stated that while regular exercise benefits most individuals, this study demonstrates that any form of physical activity is better than none.