An Australian study reveals the importance of exercise in slowing down cancer. Thanks to some special proteins
– Milano
The news is one that bodes well, even if it should be taken with the necessary caution, given that it is a small study. But according to scientists from Edith Cowan University (Australia), even a single session of exercise could slow the growth of some types of cancer. And, thanks to a special type of stimulating protein, training also appears to have the ability to actively fight off cancer cells.
Exercise slows cancer: the study
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A group of researchers from the Australian University’s Exercise Medicine Research Institute looked into it 9 male individuals with advanced stage prostate cancer, taking blood samples immediately before and after the patients completed 34 minutes of high-intensity exercise on a stationary bike, plus a third sample taken 30 minutes after the workout. The analysis showed higher levels of myokines immediately after physical activityThese are proteins released by muscles that aid in communication with other organs, and recent research suggests they also play a role in fighting chronic disease.
ECU lecturer Rob Newton calls it “a particularly exciting result, because we report for the first time that even men with advanced prostate cancer are able to produce an acute increase in anticancer molecules called myokines in response to a single session of vigorous exercise”.
Exercise and cancer: limitations of the study
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Researchers are keen to point out that exercise is not a cure for cancer, but it could prolong patients’ life expectancy. The study published in the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic DiseasesIn fact, it demonstrates that working out if it doesn’t produce healing, can change the chemical environment of the body in a way that helps it curb the growth of cancer. ‘These patients are not curable and will likely eventually succumb to the disease,’ comments Professor Newton. ‘However, we have evidence that exercise will prolong their survival and increasing myokine levels is a key part of this. process”.
How much exercise? The study authors have yet to determine the exact amount of exercise required to activate the myokines, but it should be by about 20 minutes a day — and “include resistance training to build muscle, increase the size and capacity of our internal pharmacy, and stimulate myokine production,” says Newton.
Conclusions
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The ECU team believes that while there is still much research to be done, the results of their work could already be useful in providing lifestyle advice to cancer patients. “This study provides strong evidence for the recommendation that patients with prostate cancer, and probably anyone with any type of cancer, should exercise most days, if not every dayto maintain a chemical environment within their body that suppresses the proliferation of cancer cells,” concludes Professor Newton.