JAMA Network JAMA Oncology : Consistent Adherence to Physical Activity Guidelines and Digestive System Cancer Risk and Mortality
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Oct 30, 2025 
Edward L. Giovannucci, a seasoned nutritional epidemiologist from Harvard, and Yiwen Zhang, an emerging researcher in epidemiology and nutrition, delve into the critical relationship between physical activity and digestive system cancers. They discuss surprising findings, highlighting that consistent moderate activity may be more beneficial than intense workouts. The pair also emphasize practical advice for sustainable routines, like daily walking, as pivotal for long-term health. Their insights point to the importance of continuous activity over mere intensity in preventing cancer.
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Consistency Trumps Volume
- Consistent physical activity over decades lowers digestive system cancer risk more than occasional high-volume exercise.
- Once a moderate threshold (~17 MET-hours/week) is met consistently, doing more adds no further benefit.
Repeated Measures Reveal Hidden Effects
- Single baseline measures can conflate amount and consistency, biasing dose-response findings toward higher amounts.
- Repeated measures every two years allow separating total amount from long-term consistency effects.
More Isn't Always Better
- The team expected more activity to be better but found a plateau effect for digestive cancers.
- This challenges the assumption that higher exercise volume always yields greater cancer prevention benefits.