Exercise May Help Combat Breast Cancer, Studies Indicate

Exercise and Cancer Research

A single session of physical activity could significantly boost cancer-fighting agents in the body. In a study involving 32 breast cancer survivors, a 45-minute period of either resistance training or high-intensity interval training led to a noticeable increase in messenger proteins, known as myokines, in the bloodstream.

When these myokines were tested on breast cancer samples in a laboratory, they successfully inhibited tumor growth by as much as 30 percent.

This research indicates that both forms of exercise effectively stimulate the production of these myokines in breast cancer survivors, according to Francesco Bettariga, a lead researcher from Edith Cowan University in Australia. He suggests that such results strongly advocate for incorporating exercise as a standard part of cancer treatment.

The study analyzed blood samples from participants before, immediately after, and 30 minutes post-exercise. Those in the resistance training group engaged in various exercises like chest presses, lunges, and leg curls. Meanwhile, the high-intensity group worked out on equipment such as stationary bikes and treadmills.

These activities resulted in a brief surge of three myokines: decorin, IL-6, and SPARC. Myokines are released from skeletal muscles during exercise, promoting growth and fat burning, but they also exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. Previous studies have suggested that these proteins can hinder tumor growth across various types, including breast cancer. Interestingly, it remained unclear until now whether this effect applied to cancer survivors.

Triple-negative breast cancer cells, which lack hormone receptors, were not anticipated to respond to hormonal changes triggered by exercise. Still, Bettariga and his team discovered that these cells were influenced by the myokines produced during exercise.

The results add to a growing body of research indicating that myokines might be instrumental in combatting cancer. Researchers noted that both resistance training and high-intensity interval training induced significant changes in myokine levels and reduced cancer cell proliferation. They stated, however, that further studies are essential to explore the long-term implications of these findings regarding cancer recurrence in survivors.