MANY OF US HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY CANCER – AND EVEN THE VERY WORD CAN INSTIL FEAR IN US. HOWEVER, AS RUNNERS WE ARE ABLE TO PROTECT OURSELVES IN SOME WAY. HERE DR JULIET MCGRATTAN LOOKS AT THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE IN CANCER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

ACTIVE HEALTH

Cancer Research UK tells us that every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer. Also one in two people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime.

These are scary statistics and it’s unlikely that any of you reading this haven’t been affected by cancer in some way. I don’t need to tell you that the consequences can be devastating. Anyone who has been told they have cancer will be seeking ways to improve their chances of survival and others will be wondering what they can do to reduce their risk of developing it.

While I’m in no way suggesting you can definitely avoid cancer through running, I think it’s important that the benefits of exercise in cancer prevention and treatment are more widely known and, quite honestly, shouted about. When the very word cancer can strike fear into our hearts, it’s great to have something with an evidence-base for benefit, something we can all do and share with others. Let’s look at the relationship between cancer and running.