Edith Cowan University conducted a study that found exercising can be therapeutic to cancer patients. The team found that even one exercise session increased myokines’ production. Myokines are anticancer proteins that suppress tumor growth. They also fight cancer cells actively by stimulating processes against them.
The University’s Exercise Medicine Research Institute previously evaluated men with prostate cancer. They found that regular exercise could alter their bodies’ chemical composition in six months.
The new study shows that even one dose of exorcise produces enough myokines to suppress tumor growth. Fortunately, exercise benefited all cancer patients, including those in advanced stages and those who had received treatment for years.
How researchers conducted the study
For the study, researchers had nine patients with cancer perform intense exercise on a stationary bicycle for 34 minutes. In addition, the team collected their blood serum before the workout, immediately after, and 30 minutes after the training.
Researchers found that the blood they obtained immediately after the workout significantly elevated the production of myokines. Furthermore, these levels could decrease cancer growth by about 17% in vitro. However, the serum levels of myokines were back to baseline after one and a half hours.
According to Professor Rob Newton, a study author, these findings are monumental for oncology. It is the first study to discover that even one exercise session can significantly increase myokines, causing tumor suppression.
He adds that the study also explains why cancer patients who exercise have slower disease progression and longer lives. While Newton states that the patients are in palliative and will soon pass away, living longer lives is an advantage.
More trials are necessary
The study author says that the research is still in its infancy due to its small sample group. For this reason, the team would have to conduct more trials. Despite this, doctors could start advising patients with cancer to exercise.
Professor Newton explains that the optimum dose for exercise is still unknown. However, he believes that it could be at least twenty minutes. Furthermore, the workout should include resistance training to promote muscle growth as skeletal muscles produce myokines. If the muscles are larger, their capacity to produce myokines also increases.
