Colon Health and Exercise
Does exercise promote a healthy colon?
By Jarrett Kruse
Physical activity and exercise can help prevent colon cancer, but it is not as well known in America as you would think. The inactive lifestyle accounts for a large percentage of all colon cancer cases in the United States. People who get lots of exercise have a lower percentage risk of developing colon cancer or colon disease. Doctors may find it easier to tell patients about the general health benefits of exercise, rather than specifically referring to colon cancer, even if a patient has a family history of colon cancer or other risk factors for the disease.
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Your large intestine is kind of like a sewage plant. It recycles the stuff your body can use and stores the waste for disposal. The longer waste sits in the colon or rectum, the longer toxic materials have to percolate out of the solidifying stool and back into your tissues. This can lead to developing Crohn’s Disease that can lead to a fistula. Exercise gets your body moving, which gets the waste in your body moving. This is because exercise stimulates peristalsis, a wave-like muscular contraction that helps push waste through your colon. Research indicates that exercising can decrease colon cancer risk by almost half. Exercise also tends to reduce the incidence of other risk factors for colon cancer, like obesity and diabetes.
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths for women and men combined. If you care about yourself and your family, you have good reasons to care about your colon health. Colon health and exercise seems to be less important than simply leading an active lifestyle. In general, people do not have to go to the gym five times a week for an hour in order to reduce their risk of developing colorectal cancer. Exercise is an excellent outlet for treating constipation as the waste in your body gets moving. People can reduce their risk by increasing physical activity in their daily lives. This can be accomplished by choosing a distant parking space, taking the stairs, shopping, cleaning, going for walks, playing with children or pets, and a multitude of other activities.
