The probability of cancer Metastatic spread can be reduced with aerobic exercise by 72 percent, according to a recent study. The amount of glucose (sugar) consumed by internal organs increases during intense aerobic exercise, according to the researchers, which decreases the amount of energy available to the tumor. (Also read: Popular Dietary Supplement May Cause Cancer: Research)
The study was led by two researchers from TAU’s Sackler School of Medicine: Prof. Carmit Levy from the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry and Dr. Yftach Gepner from the Sylvan Adams School of Public Health and Sports Institute. Prof. Levy emphasizes that by combining scientific insights from different TAU schools, the new study has led to a very important discovery that can help prevent metastatic cancer, the leading cause of death in Israel. The article was published in the prestigious Cancer Research magazine and chosen for the cover of the November 2022 issue.
Prof. Levy and Dr. Gepner: “Studies have shown that physical exercise reduces the risk of some types of cancer by up to 35 percent. This positive effect is similar to the impact of exercise on other conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.” In this study we add new knowledge, showing that high-intensity aerobic exercise, which gets its energy from sugar, can reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by up to 72% ‘active, be healthy’, we can now explain how aerobic activity can maximize the prevention of the most aggressive and metastatic cancers.”
The study combined an animal model in which mice were trained under a strict exercise regimen, with data from healthy human volunteers examined before and after running. Human data, obtained from an epidemiological study that followed 3,000 people for about 20 years, indicated 72 percent fewer metastatic cancers in participants who reported regular high-intensity aerobic activity, compared with those who did not engage in physical exercise.
The animal model exhibited a similar result, which also allowed the researchers to identify its underlying mechanism. Taking samples of the internal organs of physically fit animals, before and after physical exercise, and also after cancer injection, they found that aerobic activity significantly reduced the development of metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes, lungs, and liver. . The researchers hypothesized that in both human and animal models, this favorable outcome is related to the increased rate of exercise-induced glucose consumption.
Prof. Levy: “Our study is the first to investigate the impact of exercise on internal organs where metastases usually develop, such as the lungs, liver, and lymph nodes. By examining cells from these organs, we found a increase in the number of glucose receptors during high-intensity aerobic activity – increasing glucose intake and turning organs into effective energy-consuming machines, much like muscles.We surmise that this happens because organs must compete for sugar resources with muscles, known to burn large amounts of sugar quantities of glucose during physical exercise, so if cancer develops, the fierce competition for glucose reduces the availability of energy that is critical for metastasis.
Also, when a person exercises regularly, this condition becomes permanent – the tissues of internal organs change, becoming similar to muscle tissue. We all know that sport and physical exercise are good for our health. Our study, looking at internal organs, found that exercise changes the entire body, so that cancer can’t spread and the primary tumor shrinks as well.”
Dr Gepner added: “Our results indicate that unlike fat-burning exercise, which is relatively moderate, it is high-intensity aerobic activity that helps prevent cancer. If the optimal intensity range for fat-burning is from 65 to 70 percent of maximum pulse rate, burning sugar requires 80-85 percent, if only for brief intervals.
For example: a one minute sprint followed by walking, then another sprint. In the past, these intervals were mostly typical of athletes’ training regimens, but today we see them in other exercise routines as well, such as cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.
Our results suggest that healthy people should also include high-intensity components in their fitness programs. We believe that future studies will enable personalized medicine to prevent specific cancers, with physicians reviewing family history to recommend the right type of physical activity. It must be emphasized that physical exercise, with its unique metabolic and physiological effects, presents a higher level of cancer prevention than any drug or medical intervention to date.”
This story is published from a news agency source with no text changes. Only the title has been changed.
.
