Can regular exercise and a good diet lower the risk of cancer? The short answer is yes, though success depends on committing to certain lifestyle changes.
Colleen Hoover, author of the bestselling novel “It Ends With Us,” recently told fans that she had completed radiation treatment and is cancer-free.
Without specifying the cancer type, Hoover said it was neither genetic nor caused by HPV or excessive hormones. Instead, she cited her diet, stress and lack of exercise.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease. And Hoover’s story serves as a reminder of the ways we can help ensure better longevity.
While this is not to suggest that a perfect diet and workout regimen will prevent all cancer, a healthy lifestyle can reduce your chances of getting many types of cancer.
What does that look like? For starters, the American Cancer Society recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five times a week, limiting meat and processed foods, and cutting out smoking and alcohol.
Surgical oncologist Dr. Lori Gentile treats breast cancer patients at Novant Health Cancer Institute - Huntersville. Here, she answers questions around ways to lower your risk.
Supportive care throughout your cancer journey.
Can eating well and regularly exercising really lower the risk of cancer?
Yes, there’s strong evidence that this lowers the risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, gastric cancer, bladder cancer and lung cancer.
We also know that exercise significantly decreases the risk of cancer recurrence and improves survival outcomes for people with breast, colorectal and prostate cancers. Within our Cancer Institute, we have a health and wellness program where patients participate in a comprehensive program that combines exercise, diet and nutrition education for up to six months.
When sedentary people start to exercise, it helps lower their inflammation and enhance the immune system to fight cancer naturally. So exercising activates all these pathways within the body that improve metabolic health and lower cancer development risks.
How do we motivate a sedentary person to get started?
Exercise is always hard to start, but once people start it improves so many aspects in life that people feel better. We also want to be cognizant of injury as we age because getting out of the exercising habit is the worst thing you can do.
You have to start building the habit. Start by walking 10 minutes twice a day, three days a week. From there you can work up to the recommended 150 minutes a week. You're going to feel super tired when you start, but after a few weeks you're going to have more energy. And unfortunately, sometimes it takes a health scare for people to put in that effort.
Colleen Hoover said her cancer was not caused by family genes, HPV or excessive hormones. How can she know for sure?
I suspect she underwent genetic testing. Cancer genetic testing is available to everyone. However, it’s most often recommended for patients when they receive a new diagnosis of cancer or have a strong family history. About 10% of breast cancers are caused by genetic mutation, which would link to family history.
At Novant Health, we have a genetic testing and cancer risk program, and recommend genetic testing for women with a family history. Colleen Hoover likely had a genetic blood test which was negative for one of the known cancer genes. This would mean her cancer was related to lifestyle or other factors.
What about people who do all the right things yet still get diagnosed with cancer?
I get that question all the time. “Why did this happen to me? I eat healthy. I exercise every day.” But cancer is common. One in 8 people is diagnosed with breast cancer, and prostate cancer affects one in nine. Although exercise and eating well lowers the risk, it’s important to also keep up with your routine health maintenance, including screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies.
Very healthy people get diagnosed with cancer all the time. Even when they exercise and eat right and have a healthy body weight, they can still get cancer. Cancer is a 1,000-piece puzzle. Genetics is one of those pieces. Your family history is one of those pieces. But because cancer is such a complex puzzle, we can't always pinpoint exactly what caused it.
But no matter what, eating a little better and exercising a little more are two key steps you can take in reducing your cancer risk, and heart disease, too, for that matter.
