Lack of exercise 'as deadly as smoking'

Wednesday, 18 July 2012 3:55 PM

Lack of exercise can be as deadly as smoking – and something as simple as  upping your exercise can help lower your risk of heart disease and most cancers, including breast cancer. A study published in The Lancet found more than 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths worldwide in 2008 could be linked to inactivity.

Researchers estimate that lack of exercise could be responsible for around one in 10 cases of heart disease (10.5%) and just under one in five cases (18.7%) of colon cancer in the UK.

NHS Choices says smoking in more destructive as it is an 'active' choice. However, exercise is an aspect of your lifestyle that's easy to improve.

Dr Claire Knight, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “When it comes to preventing cancer, stopping smoking is by far the most important thing you can do. Smoking is responsible for over 60,000 cases of the disease each year in the UK, making it the biggest preventable cause of cancer. But the role of physical activity in cancer prevention shouldn’t be underestimated.”

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