A pioneering trial conducted in six countries reveals a natural method to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

According to estimates by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the annual incidence of colon and rectal cancer in our country is 85 cases per 100,000 people . Although these figures have decreased compared to previous years, this tumor accounts for 15.1% of cancers, affecting men more than women.

But the fight against this disease continues unabated. In a pioneering global trial involving six countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, hundreds of patients (who had already received treatment for the disease) saw their risk of death reduced by more than a third simply by adopting an exercise program.

Some trial participants were offered biweekly counseling sessions with personal trainers for the first six months, and monthly thereafter, while others were simply given brochures on healthy living.

The results for the first group were striking. After five years, those who exercised daily were 28% less likely to die, see their cancer grow, or recur. After eight years, their risk of dying was 37% lower: for every 14 participants, exercise prevented one from dying.

These results were announced last week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual conference in Chicago , as reported by the Daily Mail .

Sharlene Gill, a gastrointestinal oncology expert at the University of British Columbia, explains: "In the first three months, the goal is to increase physical activity beyond what we call 10 MET hours per week."

MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task, a scientific unit of measurement for energy burned. Ten MET hours is equivalent to approximately two and a half hours of brisk walking or a combination of moderate activity throughout the week.

And brisk walking, Gill insists, doesn't have to be overly strenuous, adding: "It's not exactly running, but it's not exactly strolling either. If you saw someone walking like that, you'd think: They have to be going somewhere."

It doesn't have to be walking. Ten METs are also equivalent to about an hour of jogging or more vigorous exercise per week. It could be three 20-minute runs, swimming, or cycling. It's simply aerobic exercise, not weight or strength training, explains Dr.

Professor Peter Campbell, a cancer epidemiologist at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York, said: "This is right up there with the best available treatments. If it were a drug, people would be leaving the building asking for it for their patients on Monday morning."