This Healthy Habit May Cause Colon Cancer According to Professionals

Exercising and physical activity are known to improve the quality of life, and their benefits are countless. Exercising is a vital element of a healthy lifestyle, and it can reduce the risk of contracting many illnesses and diseases, not to say most of them. However, a recent study shows that some specific exercises might not be that beneficial and can even lead to colon cancer.

Running Marathons and Colon Cancer

As healthy as it may seem, running marathons has been linked to an increase in colon cancer risk. A study that was conducted and presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology conference showed the link between long-distance runners and colon cancer. Oncologist Timothy Cannon led this research after seeing how three of his healthiest and youngest patients were diagnosed with colon cancer and unfortunately passed away. 

The reality is that colon cancer is more common than people think. It is the cancer that causes the most deaths among young men and the second deadliest among women after breast cancer. Nevertheless, what shocked the doctor was the one thing these three patients had in common: they were marathon runners. Two of them regularly ran 100-mile marathons, and the other patient completed more than 10 half-marathons annually.

For this research, Cannon gathered adults aged 35 to 50 who had registered for marathons of different lengths (ultramarathons and normal marathons) and didn’t have any family history of colon cancer.

The results were quite shocking. The study concluded that 15 percent of the patients had advanced adenomas. Adenomas are benign tumors that are commonly found in various organs. Adenomas are typically harmless, but they can become cancerous over time if there is no monitoring or surgical intervention. 

Moreover, researchers also stated that 39 percent of patients had polyps. Polyps are an abnormal cluster of cells that you can find in the colon, stomach, uterus, or nose. Once again, they do not pose a major danger to the human body, but they can become cancerous over time. 

These results contrast greatly with a statistic that shows that only 4 percent of the adults in the United States present advanced adenomas, suggesting that there is in fact a connection between marathon running and adenomas.

How Does This Connection Work?

This current research doesn’t confirm that marathon running is a direct or indirect cause of colon cancer whatsoever. This small study only linked long-distance running with advanced adenomas, which does not necessarily mean colon cancer, as mentioned previously. However, many doctors have constructed theories about the link between this deadly disease and marathon running.

Marathons are an endurance sport that requires a tremendous amount of effort. Long-distance running demands a lot of resistance and high efficiency from the cardiovascular system. Moreover, Cannon has found that a large reduction in blood flow happens in many organs during a marathon. This is because, when running for more than five hours, the body demands a lot of energy; therefore, a lot of the blood flow from the gut is transferred to the muscles that are active during the running. This loss of blood flow in the stomach, bowel, etc., can cause cell damage.

Furthermore, marathon runners tend to be accustomed to abnormal gastrointestinal symptoms such as the well-known “runner’s trots” or diarrhea. Getting used to these conditions doesn’t mean that they should be normalized or clinically ignored. Doctors hypothesize that this negligence may also result in more significant issues that may lead to colon cancer.

The Bottom Line: 

Full-effort sports such as marathon running could be more lethal than you think. Doctors have found that there may be a link between long-distance running and developing symptoms of colon cancer.