Studies Show Moderate Exercise Slows Prostate Cancer Progression

     On February 15, 2018, the Prostate Cancer Foundation posted an article about exercise slowing the progression of Prostate Cancer. The article is based on studies by Dr. June M. Chan from U.C. San Francisco that shows that vigorous exercise such as running or cycling can slow down the progression of prostate cancer in men that have been diagnosed with the disease.
     Here is a quote from the article:  “We observed that three or more hours a week of vigorous activity, as opposed to less than one hour a week, was associated with an approximately 60 percent reduction in the risk of dying of prostate cancer.”  Chan and colleagues observed similar results among 1,455 men in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE).  These findings suggest that “engaging in relatively vigorous physical activity and/or having higher cardiorespiratory fitness may protect against prostate cancer progression.”
     The article doesn't claim that running will stop the growth and spread of prostate cancer, but it can slow down the spread of the disease. Here is another great quote from the article: “Biochemically, exercise could help deterMetastasis of the Tumor by changing the environment for the cancer” – in effect, spraying fire retardant on the tumor.  Not necessarily extinguishing the flame altogether, but making it burn slower, and helping the body set up fire breaks to keep the cancer confined to its current location. 
     I find this news, along with that of a healthy diet helping which I wrote about on February 7th of this year and you can go to that story here, to be great news on the prostate cancer front. This means we can help control our destinies after a positive diagnosis of prostate cancer with a simple change in diet and exercise. Exercise has never been a problem for me and I'm trying to add more time and effort on that front as we speak and I'm already seeing my 5k times being faster than they were at any time last year. The key is getting with the right group of people to workout with. Make getting your exercise social and fun. Reward yourself afterward with something you don't get very often, a beer, frozen yogurt, slice of pizza, but, as Nike says "Just Do It".
     For a link to the complete article on the Prostate Cancer Foundation Website click here.