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How can exercise help fight cancer?

Being very overweight (obese) is a risk factor for some cancers, such as cancer of the breast and cancer of the womb (in women who've been through the menopause). It may also be linked with other cancers, including bowel and kidney cancer.

Exercising regularly helps keep your weight down and so may help reduce your risk of developing certain cancers. It may help reduce your risk of cancer in other ways as well.

"For some people, exercise can be an important part of their recovery”

If you have cancer, doing regular, moderate exercise can often help you to feel better. Exercise can improve fatigue, anxiety and help people to sleep better. For some people, exercise can be an important part of their recovery.

If you exercised regularly before your cancer and are having treatment, you'll need to exercise at a slower pace. It's a good idea to talk to your doctor about what's ok to do. Swimming should be avoided if you're having chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

It's important to try and exercise a little if you can, even when you are unwell. Too much exercise might make you tired, but so can too little. A balance between being active and getting plenty of rest is best.

There's now some evidence that regular exercise might help reduce the risk of breast cancer from coming back after treatment.

www.cancerbackup.org

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Copyright © 2007 Cancerbackup

This information has been provided by Cancerbackup, the UK's leading cancer information charity providing information, understanding and support on all aspects of cancer, its treatment and care.

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