University of Oxford study links daily steps to lower risk of 13 cancers

Physical inactivity is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion every year - and the greater price is paid in lives.

As modern life becomes ever more sedentary, spending too long sitting is associated with a higher risk of a range of serious illnesses, including cancer. So can something as everyday as walking genuinely help protect us?

The evidence increasingly suggests it can.

A widening base of research indicates that regular physical activity is linked with a lower risk of developing cancer. Fresh results from the University of Oxford now strengthen that case.

University of Oxford findings on daily steps and cancer risk

In a large UK study of more than 85,000 people, researchers reported that the higher a person’s daily step count, the lower their likelihood of developing up to 13 different types of cancer.

Participants wore activity trackers that recorded both how much they moved and how intense that movement was. Researchers then checked in again about six years later. A clear trend emerged: taking more steps was associated with a reduced cancer risk, irrespective of how quickly those steps were done.

Protective effects began to show at around 5,000 steps a day; below that level, there appeared to be little benefit.

At 7,000 steps, cancer risk was 11% lower. At 9,000 steps, it was 16% lower. After 9,000 steps, the gains largely plateaued: further reductions were small, and the pattern differed slightly between men and women.

Taken together, these results align with the widely promoted goal of 10,000 steps a day - not only for overall wellbeing, but potentially as part of cancer prevention.

Importantly, the links remained when the analysis accounted for demographics, BMI and other lifestyle factors such as smoking. That supports the idea that the differences in cancer risk were genuinely related to participants’ average daily step totals.

Does walking speed matter?

The researchers also examined step intensity - essentially, how fast people walked. On its own, a quicker walking pace was associated with a lower cancer risk.

But once overall physical activity was considered, walking speed no longer showed a statistically significant effect. Put simply, the total volume of walking seems to matter more than how brisk it is.

A similar pattern was seen when considering time spent sitting. Replacing sitting with either light activity or moderate activity was linked to lower cancer risk - yet switching from light activity to moderate activity did not bring extra benefit. The key takeaway is that moving more, at any pace, appears to be the most important factor.

The 13 cancers included and what happened over six years

The study assessed 13 specific cancers: oesophageal, liver, lung, kidney, gastric, endometrial, myeloid leukaemia, myeloma, colon, head and neck, rectal, bladder and breast.

Across the six year follow-up, about 3% of participants developed one of these cancers. The most frequently diagnosed were colon, rectal and lung cancers in men, and breast, colon, endometrial and lung cancers in women.

Higher activity levels were most strongly associated with reduced risk of six cancers: gastric, bladder, liver, endometrial, lung, and head and neck.

Break it up

Earlier research has often depended on people reporting their own activity, which can be inaccurate - it’s easy to forget, miscount, or overestimate. By using wearable trackers, this study captured a more precise record of how much people moved and how hard they were working.

It is also notable that the research did not centre only on vigorous exercise. Many previous studies have found that intense workouts can reduce cancer risk - but not everyone can (or wants to) do demanding gym sessions. These findings suggest that even lighter activity, such as walking, may still help, making the idea of cancer prevention through movement more attainable.

Walking about 3.2 kilometres a day - roughly 4,000 steps, or around 40 minutes of gentle walking - could make a meaningful difference to long-term health. And it doesn’t need to be completed in a single session. You can build it up across the day by:

• taking the stairs rather than the lift
• going for a short walk at lunchtime
• walking while you’re on phone calls
• parking a little further from where you’re heading

Adding more steps into everyday life, particularly in middle age, may be one of the most straightforward ways to lower the risk of developing certain cancers.

That said, the relationship between physical activity and cancer is complicated. More long-term research is still needed - especially studies that look closely at individual cancer types - to clarify why walking helps and how movement can best be incorporated into cancer prevention strategies.

For now, the core message is straightforward: spend less time sitting, move more - and you may be able to walk your way towards better health.

Mhairi Morris, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Loughborough University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.