Here’s one more reason to lace up your sneakers: A new study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found people who exercise regularly are associated with a greatly reduced risk of certain kinds of cancer.
The researchers studied 1.44 million participants over an average of 11 years. They discovered that people who engaged in the highest levels of physical activity were 7 percent less likely to develop any kind of cancer than those who exercised the least.
In particular, the researchers found that women who exercised had a 21 percent lower risk of endometrial cancer, and a 10 percent lower risk of breast cancer. And everyone had lower risks of the following cancers:
The biggest effects were noticed among those who exercise the most—in the 90th percentile of physical activity. But the researchers did note that “most of these associations were evident regardless of body size or smoking history,” so you don’t have to start out in great shape to benefit.
The article NEW STUDY: Exercise Can Prevent These 13 Kinds Of Cancer originally appeared on Men's Health.