Brisk walk can help beat prostate cancer

Zee Media Bureau

 

Washington: According to a latest study, brisk walk and regular exercise could help improve the prognosis of prostate cancer patients by affecting blood vessels in their tumours.

Men who walked at a fast pace have been reported to have a lower risk of prostate cancer recurrence and mortality compared with men who participate in little or no physical activity.

Researchers found that men who engage in higher levels of physical activity before being diagnosed with the disease had tumours containing larger and more regularly shaped blood vessels, which may in turn inhibit cancer aggressiveness and promote better responses to treatments.

Men with the fastest walking pace – between 3.3 and five miles per hour – prior to diagnosis had 8 per cent more regularly shaped tumour blood vessels than the slowest walkers who ambled at 1.5 to 2.5 mph, said the study.

“Research has shown that men with prostate tumours containing more regularly-shaped blood vessels have a more favourable prognosis compared with men with prostate tumours containing mostly irregularly-shaped blood vessels,” said Erin Van Blarigan, assistant professor at University of California, San Francisco.

The study looked at 572 prostate cancer patients taking part in a US lifestyle and health investigation called the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

“Our study supports the growing evidence of the benefits of exercise, such as brisk walking, for men with prostate cancer,” Van Blarigan added.

The findings were presented at the AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research held from Jan 18-21.

 

With Agency Inputs

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