Have you ever heard the saying, “If you live long enough, you’ll get cancer?”
Data shows that after age 70, the lifetime risk of developing cancer is around 30%, rising to 30% for those over 80. The average life expectancy is currently between 70 and 80, which translates to a 30% to 40% chance of developing cancer.
However, some online claims claim that some people have a unique immune system predisposition to cancer. Is this true?
There’s no clear medical definition of this, but some people do have a lower risk of cancer due to factors like lifestyle, genetics, and their immune systems. What are the characteristics of these individuals?
1. Regular Exercise
A study published in the International Journal of Cancer indicates that approximately half an hour of moderate-intensity intermittent aerobic exercise can increase interleukin-6 production in the body, promote the repair of damaged DNA, and significantly inhibit the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from multiple countries indicates that regular exercise can significantly reduce mortality and recurrence risk in patients with colon cancer, even outperforming some anticancer drugs and potentially extending patients’ lives.
Dr. Julie Gralo, Chief Medical Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, stated that exercise is more effective than anticancer drugs because it has no side effects. Many approved drugs offer a 28% to 37% risk reduction, but these drugs also carry side effects.
Academician Zhaoyou Tang, a leading expert in surgical oncology in China, has stated that swimming is the best anti-cancer exercise. He conducted a study specifically to this end, which found that mice with liver cancer who swam for 5 to 8 minutes daily lived 10 days longer than those who did not exercise.
