Exercising for just 10 minutes can halt bowel cancer growth and speed up DNA damage repair, new research has found. 

Even a short bout of exercise can trigger a rapid molecular change in the blood that helps stave off tumour progression, say scientists. 

While the underlying biological mechanism 'remains unclear', researchers say the finding is further proof that physical activity can slow the spread of bowel cancer. 

More than 44,000 people in Britain are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year—making it the fourth most common cancer in the country. 

And while overall rates are stable or have declined slightly in older age groups, cases among younger adults are increasing. 

The disease—which also claimed the life of Dame Deborah James at the age of 40—has surged by 50 per cent in under-50s over the past three decades, leaving experts baffled.

But a growing body of evidence suggests that exercise could be the key to slashing the risk of dying from the disease—or even preventing it in the first place.

A groundbreaking new paper from researchers at the University of Newcastle examined the blood samples of 30 overweight or obese—but otherwise healthy— men.

Intense exercise - such as cycling - for just 10 minutes  can halt bowel cancer growth and speed up DNA damage repair, new research claims

The participants had blood taken before and immediately after a 10-12 minute exercise session, in this case in the form of a cycling test.

The samples were then exposed to bowel cancer cells in a laboratory.

In all cases, the researchers found, intense exercise increased the concentration of 13 proteins in the blood linked to reducing inflammation, improving blood vessel function, and metabolism.

When applied to bowel cancer cells, these exercise-induced molecules actually changed the cancer's genetic makeup—boosting the genes involved in DNA repair and energy production, and halting those responsible for cancer cell growth.

Writing in the International Journal of Cancer, the research team said their finding offers a 'potential mechanistic explanation for the protective effects of exercise against' bowel cancer.

Dr Sam Orange, senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at Newcastle University and the study's lead author, said: 'What's remarkable is that exercise doesn't just benefit healthy tissues, it sends powerful signals through the bloodstream that can directly influence thousands of genes in cancer cells.

'It's an exciting insight because it opens the door to find ways that mimic or augment the biological effects of exercise, potentially improving cancer treatment and, crucially, patient outcomes.

'In the future, these insights could lead to new therapies that imitate the beneficial effects of exercise on how cells repair damaged DNA and use fuel for energy.