You may be surprised to learn that walking can lower your cancer risk.
Dartmouth Cancer Center medical oncologist Mary D. Chamberlin, MD, studies the benefits of physical activity for cancer patients and survivors through ongoing clinical trials. As for walking, she explains how walking helps keep your body's immune system healthy and regulates hormones that contribute to the development of cancer.
Courtney J. Stevens, PhD, principal investigator of the PHIT for Breast Cancer Recovery Study, a behavioral clinical trial, adds that for people who have had cancer, the association between physical activity and reduced mortality is even stronger.
Dr. Chamberlin and Dr. Stevens' research joins many other studies that suggest that physical activity after a cancer diagnosis provides greater benefits of reduced mortality risk, as well as reduces symptoms of fatigue, depression and anxiety and improves sleep.
Learn more about how walking reduces cancer risk and boosts your health in other ways in "5 Surprising Benefits of Walking," originally published in the Living Better Newsletter on dartmouth-health.org.