Colorectal Cancer Awareness – April 2020
Colorectal Cancer is the 4th most common type of cancer in the UK, affecting approximately 268,000 people with an estimated 42,000 newly diagnosed cases every year. The movement to raise awareness for colorectal cancer was started in the year 2000, whereby April was officially dedicated as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month in the UK. Through dedicating a whole month to raise awareness for the condition, it has grown to become a rallying point for thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates across the whole country.
Interestingly, research has shown that approximately 54% of colorectal cancer cases are preventable, meaning there are changes we can make to our lifestyles to reduce our risk of the condition. One such lifestyle choice is the choice to include more movement in our daily lives.
Physical activity plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of many health-related conditions and has long been referred to as a ‘miracle cure.’ There is a growing pool of evidence highlighting the positive impact of physical activity on colorectal cancer. One meta-analysis evaluated the findings of 19 studies which assessed the relationship between physical activity and the risk of colorectal cancer. The collective results from the studies were astounding and showed a statistically significant reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer. Men and women who took part in regular physical activity reduced their risk by 21% and 29%, respectively.
These findings are supported by another study which looked into how much physical activity people needed to do to reduce their risk of developing colorectal cancer. The results showed that as little as 20 minutes of physical activity each day – equating to roughly 2 hours per week was enough to cut peoples risk by up to 24%. Importantly, physical activity didn’t need come from sport and exercise for people to gain these benefits – the activities we do in our everyday lives are enough. And we can all do a little bit more of the things we are already doing.
This echoes the core values here at KiActiv® as every movement you make matters and through approaching physical activity with a multidimensional view, the opportunities to stay active are endless. For many of us, it’s likely there are already activities in our day which provide a good source of movement. This could be anything from housework to washing the car or even making a meal. What’s important is finding what counts for you and making the most of your movement.
KiActiv®, empowers individuals to self-manage their own physical activity, which is an important piece of the puzzle in preventing and treating colorectal cancer and, for all of us, a step in the right direction to having more control over our health and wellbeing forever.
