Study: exercise vastly reduces stomach cancer risk

Another reason to start running: if you’re physically active, you’re less likely to have stomach cancer.

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examined over 1.5 million people, including 8,000 people living with stomach cancer, and found a relation between fitness and this kind of the disease. Their results showed that active people are 19 per cent less likely to have stomach cancer.

This finding is great news for those who diligently keep their bodies in action. Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) is the fourth most common type of cancer and has the second highest death rate.

Regular exercise prevents chronic inflammation and regulates your antioxidant defence system. It also reduces carcinogenic hormones which increase risk of cancer.

This isn’t the first time a link has been found between fitness and cancer reduction. Being regularly active also reduces risk of colon and breast cancer and likely reduces chances of ovarian and prostate cancer.

Common causes of gastric cancer are high intakes of salt and alcohol. Unsurprisingly, the news is bad again for smokers. The link between fitness and stomach cancer was weaker among smokers in the group.