The results of two new German studies emphasize that exercise is one of the most effective methods of preventing disease. The first study found that exercise has an extraordinary potential to prevent stroke. Rapid walking or cycling lowered the risk of cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) by 40 percent in men and cerebral infarction (blood supply blocked by a clot) by 27 percent.

The second study found that regular walking lowers the risk of colorectal cancer by 40 percent. It also found that patients with colorectal carcinoma can improve their chances of survival by exercising.

Professor Dieter Leyk of the German Sport University in Cologne raises the question of why the tremendous benefits of exercise, both preventive and therapeutic, are not fully utilized by medical professionals.