[조수완 하이닥 건강의학기자] Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health, but what is not well known is that the effects can vary depending on the time of day you exercise. A recent study showed that the optimal exercise time to lower the risk of colon cancer is 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The results of this study (Diurnal timing of physical activity and risk of colorectal cancer in the UK Biobank) were published in the international medical journal ‘BMC Medicine’.
A research team from the University of Regensburg, Germany, analyzed data from 86,252 adults aged 42 to 79 registered in the UK Biobank to examine the association between exercise time and colon cancer risk. Researchers had participants wear accelerometers on their wrists and recorded their physical activity for a week. Afterwards, cases of colon cancer were tracked through 5.3 years of follow-up. A total of 529 cases of colon cancer were identified during the study period.
The research team broadly divided daily physical activity patterns into four types: △types that were consistently active throughout the day, △types that were mainly active in the afternoon, △types that were active in the morning and evening, and △types that were active in the middle of the day and night.
As a result of the analysis, the risk of colon cancer in the group with high activity in the morning (8 a.m.) and evening (6 p.m.) was found to be reduced by 11%. The group that was active all day showed a decrease of 6%, and the group that was active only in the afternoon showed a decrease of 7%, but there was no significant change in the group that was active during the middle of the day and at night.
The research team analyzed that morning and evening exercise is likely to have a positive effect on cardiovascular and metabolic health. It was analyzed that this would have further strengthened the effect of preventing colon cancer.
In addition, the researchers found that morning and evening exercise was consistently effective in preventing colon cancer in additional analyzes that considered the effects of smoking, body mass index (BMI), and shift work on cancer risk. In particular, a more pronounced effect was confirmed in people with low physical activity.
Professor Michael F. Leitzmann, who led the study, said, “The simple act of adjusting the timing of exercise can reduce the risk of colon cancer.” This study suggests that the timing of exercise can have as great an impact on cancer prevention as the amount of exercise.
Soo-wan Jo, Hidoc Health and Medical Reporter [email protected]
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