Colon Cancer Survivors and Exercise
New study finds that colon cancer survivors who exercise significantly improve survival.
Consistent exercise, like walking at a moderate pace for one hour a day, six days a week, is linked with improving the longevity of people who have survived colon cancer equal to the level of people who have never had cancer, according to a study published in Cancer. The study is based on data from 2,875 patients who self-reported physical activity.
“The study suggests that exercise can have a meaningful impact on long-term survival for patients. Those who were more active had improvements in survival even if their cancer recurred,” says study author Jeffrey Meyerhardt, MD, MPH, chief clinical research officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “And for those who did not experience a recurrence, their overall survival rates looked better than the matched general population.”
References
2025; doi: 10.1002/cncr.35727
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
