October 4, 2023 – 45 minutes of intense exercise 3 times every week may reduce the danger of cancer in patients with Lynch syndrome, a genetic disorder that may result in cancer at a young age.
The Amount of exercise The immune system is healthier capable of fight cancer cells, researchers on the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found. The intervention — 45 minutes of high-intensity cycling 3 days per week — was targeted in nature, said oncologist Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, MD, PhD, professor of clinical cancer prevention and lead creator of the study.
“We wanted to make the recommendation very specific,” he said. “People don’t follow vague lifestyle advice like ‘just exercise.’ We wanted to link a specific biological effect to a very specific intervention.”
The study was small (only 21 people), nevertheless it relies on a considerable amount of evidence linking regular exercise to a reduced risk of cancer, especially colon cancer. But researchers at MD Anderson went a step further and examined How Exercise could reduce the danger of cancer.
Exercise and the immune system
All 21 people within the study had Lynch syndrome and were divided into two groups. One received a 12-month exercise program; the opposite didn't. The scientists checked their cardio and respiratory fitness and tracked immune cells – natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells – within the blood and colon tissue.
“These are the immune cells that are responsible for attacking foreign entities like cancer cells,” Vilar-Sanchez said, “and they were more active in the participants who exercised.”
Participants within the exercise group also experienced a decrease within the inflammatory marker prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The decrease was closely related to the rise in immune cells. Both changes indicate a stronger immune response.
The researchers assume that the changes are related to an enhancement of the body's own “immune surveillance system” within the seek for and elimination of harmful cells otherwise become cancerous.
Building on previous research
Science already provides ample evidence that regular exercise may also help prevent cancer. An enormous one Systematic review 2019 More than 45 studies and several other million people found strong evidence that exercise can reduce the danger of varied sorts of cancer – including bladder, breast, colon and stomach cancer – by as much as 20%.
But the MD Anderson study is the primary to indicate a link between exercise and changes in immune biomarkers, the researchers said. “It's one thing to have the epidemiological link, but it's quite another to know the biological basis,” said Xavier Llor, MD, PhD, director of the GI Cancer Prevention Program on the Yale Cancer Center and professor of drugs at Yale School of Medicine Medicine. (Llor was not involved within the study.)
Two previous studies examined exercise and inflammatory markers in healthy people and in individuals with a history of colon polyps, but neither study produced meaningful results. The success of this recent study could possibly be resulting from more intense training or additional colon tissue samples. But advances in technology now allow for more sensitive measurements, the researchers said.
What it is best to know
Vilar-Sanchez was hesitant to increase the study results beyond individuals with Lynch syndrome, but is optimistic that they might be applicable to the final population.
Llor agrees: “Exercise could protect against other cancers through some of these mechanisms,” he said.
According to the American Cancer Society, greater than 15% of all cancer deaths (excluding tobacco-related cancers) within the United States are resulting from lifestyle aspects, including physical inactivity, obesity, alcohol consumption, and poor food plan. It recommends 150 to 300 minutes moderately intense exercise per week to cut back the danger of cancer. Study participants saw a big immune response with 135 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week.
“The public should know that participation in any form of exercise results in this somehow lead to cancer prevention effects,” said Vilar-Sanchez.