People who exercise lower their risk for colorectal cancer, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who analyzed data from 52 past studies. The results indicated people who exercised the most were 24 percent less likely to develop the disease than those who exercised the least.

The analysis found all types of exercise and physical activity had a protective effect. It didn’t matter whether the activity was recreational, such as walking, jogging, biking, or swimming; or job-related, such as lifting or digging.

“The beneficial effect of exercise holds across all sorts of activities,” says Kathleen Y. Wolin, Sc.D., a cancer prevention and control expert at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University.

Large studies show vitamin supplements don’t fight cancer. Two long-term trials with more than 50,000 participants conducted by the National Institutes of Health found vitamins C and E and selenium supplements don’t reduce the risk for prostate, colorectal, lung, bladder, or pancreatic cancers.

Other recent studies have found over-the-counter vitamins and minerals offer no help in fighting other cancers, stroke, or cardiovascular disease. Research has even suggested that in some circumstances, the supplements can be unsafe.

As a result, many physicians are advising their patients not to bother with supplements, and to focus instead on eating a varied, healthy diet to provide needed vitamins and minerals.

American adults swallow an average of 300 sugary calories in beverages every day, leading to a potential 2.5-pound weight gain per month, according to two studies.

“People are taking in enormous amounts of calories in liquid form,” says study author Sara Bleich, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “If you’re looking for an easy way to lose weight, just stop drinking soda and other sweetened beverages.”

One 12-oz. can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, and most Americans drink more than 12 oz. a day. These and other high-calorie drinks can contribute to being overweight, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.

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