Study finds activities like climbing stairs, carrying heavy groceries can prevent cancer

A recent study has found that “vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity” (VILPA) technique will greatly reduce the risk of getting cancer.

This study was published in JAMA Oncology. Australian researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia conducted this study by analysing data of over 22,398 adults with an average age of 62.

Participants in this study wore activity trackers for 7 days, and their health outcomes were monitored and cancer-related diagnoses were made over several years.

Activities under VILPA include climbing stairs, carrying heavy groceries, completing physical household chores, brisk walking and playing with children in high-energy games.

The study found that doing heavy exercise or intense activity even for about 5 minutes will reduce the chances of developing cancer.

The study also revealed that people who performed vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) for about 5 minutes every day, felt a 32 percent reduction in the risk of “physical activity-related cancer incidence.” This included kidney, bladder, stomach and lung cancers.

People who did heavy activity even for about 3.4 to 3.6 minutes per day, the risk of getting cancer was still reduced by around 18%.

The limitation of this study is that this study was conducted particularly among people belonging to White ethnicity.