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A study from South Africa shows that people who exercise regularly before being diagnosed with cancer can slow down the later progression of the disease and reduce their risk of death. Physical activity stimulates the immune system and hormone balance—both important criteria for the progression of different types of cancer.
It is well established that exercise has positive effects on health and can reduce the risk of dying from numerous diseases, such as cancer. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine now shows the extent to which regular physical activity impacts the progression of the disease even before a cancer diagnosis.
A research team led by sports medicine specialist Jon Patricios from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg found that even just one hour of regular exercise per week can slow down the progression of cancer using anonymized data from more than 28,200 patients from South Africa. The study covered a period of 15 years (2007-2022).
All of the people examined in the study had previously been diagnosed with stage I cancer – most commonly breast and prostate cancer. All subjects had also taken part in a health promotion program before their diagnosis, in which people can collect points for a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise sessions at a gym, for example. The individual activity level was determined using fitness trackers.
People who had exercised for up to 60 minutes per week in the year before their cancer diagnosis were 16 percent less likely to experience disease progression one year after diagnosis than patients who had not exercised regularly during this period, the researchers report. Those who had exercised (in some cases significantly) for more than one hour per week before a positive cancer diagnosis were even able to reduce their risk by 27 percent.
Even five years after the onset of the disease, the probability of cancer progression was still around four percent lower in people who had exercised regularly beforehand than in people who had not exercised. Patients who were even more physically active were even able to reduce their risk by seven percent compared to untrained people. The study team also found very similar patterns with regard to the risk of death.
… strengthen the immune system
According to the authors, there are several explanations for these results: Exercise increases the number of killer cells and lymphocytes in the body. The number of neutrophils, which belong to the white blood cells and primarily fight bacteria, and eosinophils, which are directed against parasites, also increases through exercise, and the immune system is strengthened overall.
Exercise also influences and regulates oestrogen and progesterone levels. The researchers believe that this could also slow down the progression of hormone-dependent cancers such as breast and prostate cancer. These results have several explanations.
Progression, prevention and treatment
However, as this is an observational study, it cannot be clearly determined whether more exercise before a cancer diagnosis is the sole cause of slower progression of the disease. The authors concede that harmful factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity could not or only insufficiently be taken into account in the study.
Nevertheless, they conclude that “the promotion of physical activity can bring important benefits with regard to the progression of cancer as well as its prevention and treatment.” And even if cancer has already been diagnosed, regular exercise—depending on the individual’s state of health—can slow down the progression of the disease, reduce the risk of recurrence in numerous types of cancer, and lower the overall risk of death.
- source: orf.at/picture: pixabay.com
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