Ranked as the 5th leading cancer related cause of death, pancreatic cancer is a disease of ever increasing concern.
Smoking, diabetes, and (more recently) diets high in animal fats have been associated with elevated risks of pancreatic cancers.
Obvious prevention techniques have been stressed repeatedly including exercise, diets low in animal fats and smoking cessation however many individuals are not aware that the simple act of walking is a significant deterrent to contracting pancreatic cancer as well.
A 20 year study published in the Journal of American Medicine in 2001 found a 50% reduction in the rates of pancreatic cancers for both men and women among individuals who walked a mere 1.
5 hours per week.
Study participants included approximately 46,000 men (ages: 40-75) and 117,000 women (ages: 30-55).
Those who participated in the least amount of moderate exercise were 2x as likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
Exercise was most critical for those individuals with higher BMI's (Body Mass Index) since they were 1.
72x more likely to contract pancreatic cancer as those with low to average BMI's.
Surprisingly greater heights increased the risk 1.
8x.
Walking has been shown to reduce the potential of contracting many diseases including the nation's top killers: Heart Disease, Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes.
According to the American Cancer Society more than 42,000 Americans will contract pancreatic cancer this year and 35,000 people will die from the disease.
Recent studies from the National Institutes of Health found a 36% increase in pancreatic cancer rates among individuals consuming large amounts of saturated fats (meat and dairy).
Further found was a 43% increase in the rate of overall cancers among individuals consuming too much saturated fats.
The evidence is overwhelming that diets low in saturated fats and walking as much as possible each and every day is critical to overall health and cancer preventions.