Chris Wild, Director of the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer - IARC, talking on World Cancer Day ( Feb 4th ) said that the research over the last 20 years indicates that low levels of physical activity are associated with a high risk of colon cancer and there is also reasonably strong evidence that the same is true for breast cancer.
It is estimated that between 165,000 to 330,000 cases of cancer could have been prevented in 2008 if the population had maintained sufficient levels of physical activity.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008. Tobacco, alcohol, poor diet and too much sun exposure are linked to cancer. Chronic infections with viruses such as those which cause Hepatitis B and C or human papiloma virus are also risk factors for cancer.
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| A Poster From 2008 World Cancer Day |
WHO's recent global recommendations for physical activity are, two and half hours of aerobic physical activity a week. It is believed to reduce the risk of chronic diseases including cancers for people aged 18 and over.
The whole transcript of discussion can be found at WHO's webpage.
