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Diet,
Exercise Prevent Pancreatic Cancer
Excerpt
By Jeff Carpenter, ABCNews.com
Moderate
exercise and a healthy diet may reduce the risk of a deadly form
of cancer, according to a new study.
People may
be able to greatly reduce their risk of an often fatal form of
cancer simply by exercising moderately and eating a healthy diet,
according to a new study.
The study,
published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association,
says obese people with sedentary lifestyles have twice the risk
of developing pancreatic cancer as those who are active and not
obese. Harvard School of Public Health researchers say that by
walking or hiking as little as 1.5 hours a week, people can reduce
their risk of this cancer by 50 percent.
"Even if you
are obese you can reduce your risk," says the study's lead author,
Dr. Dominique Michaud. "Moderate exercise makes a difference."
Proper Diet and Exercise
This study
suggests that an additional 15 percent of pancreatic cancer cases
could be avoided with proper diet and physical activity.
Because of
studies like this one linking cancer to poor diet and lack of
exercise, the American Cancer Society has decided to change its
nutritional guidelines this fall to include an increased emphasis
on physical activity and maintaining a healthy body weight.
"Because there
are no tests to detect pancreatic cancer early there is a great
need for better ways to prevent the disease, and also for improvement
in early detection," said Dr. Michael Thun, an epidemiologist
with the American Cancer Society.
The study,
which looked at data from two large trials of 46,648 men, and
117,041 women, showed that tall height and high body mass index
(BMI) were associated with pancreatic cancer. Moderate physical
activity, on the other hand, was associated with a lower risk
of cancer. BMI is figured by dividing your weight in kilograms
by the square of your height in meters.
The study
said that people with a BMI of 30 or more have a 72 percent increased
risk of pancreatic cancer compared with those with a BMI of less
than 23. Someone with a BMI of more than 25 is classified as overweight;
a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.
Pancreatic Cancer Kills 95 Percent of Patients
This link
between activity level and BMI and pancreatic cancer may be a
clue as to how pancreatic cancer develops. Inactivity and obesity,
as well as diabetes impair the body's ability to metabolize glucose.
These factors lead to high levels of insulin in the pancreas,
which may trigger cancer. However, researchers say that further
studies need to be done before a direct link between insulin levels,
blood glucose levels, and cancer can be established.
Until recently,
the only avoidable risk factor known to affect pancreatic cancer
was smoking. Now it appears that moderate activity and maintaining
a healthy body weight can lower the risk.
Breast and
colon cancer have been linked to activity levels and obesity.
But unlike pancreatic cancer, other types of cancers tend to have
several contributing factors.
Pancreatic
cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United
States. It is especially difficult to treat because of its rapid
growth, proximity to other important organs, and inaccessible
location. The result is a cancer that kills 95 percent of its
victims within five years of diagnosis.
Reference
Source 104
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