For me, regular physical activity is the hardest part of a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, I am constantly looking for additional motivators, including new research that proves the benefits of sports. Scientists have long researched the diverse effects of physical activity on human health. In particular, we have already found that just 20 minutes of daily exercise reduces the risk of premature death by a third. Impressive, right? But perhaps I was even more impressed by another discovery recently. The list of key reasons for running is reinforced by another compelling argument: Scientists have found that regular exercise can help mice suffering from cancer slow tumor growth and shrink its size. It’s all about adrenaline, which is released during physical activity. Therefore, if you do not like running, you can do other active sports.
“We have known for a long time that the penetration of lymphocytes -“ natural killers ”- leads to a decrease in the size of cancerous tumors, but no one has tried to test how physical activity affects their work. We have shown in our experiments that a simple injection of adrenaline into the body of a mouse, simulating stress, mobilizes these cells and “directs” them to the tumor, ”RIA Novosti quotes the words of co-author of the study Pernilla Hodzhman from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). The results of the study are published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Hodgman and her colleagues have shown that constant exercise or injecting adrenaline into the body of mice reduced tumor size by 61–67% compared to rodents at rest, and also significantly slowed its growth. This applies to all types of cancer that scientists have transplanted under the skin of mice.
It was possible to find out the reasons for this effect of adrenaline. It turned out that during exercise, the muscles of the animals produced large amounts of interleukin-6. It is a signaling substance of the immune system that activates NK cells – special lymphocytes that specialize in killing cancer cells. Apparently, interleukin molecules make these white blood cells more actively fight cancer and direct them to the center of the tumor.
“For cancer patients, the question may arise: how often should I exercise and will it help me? Previously, as a person associated with both oncology and sports, it was difficult for me to determine the optimal frequency and intensity of exercise. Our findings suggest that they most likely need to exercise as hard as possible in order to force their bodies to produce large amounts of adrenaline and awaken NK cells, ”concludes Hodgman.
Considering that in Russia, unfortunately, cancer at an early stage is not detected as often as we would like, everyone should sweat to minimize the risks of this disease. And in any case, a sedentary lifestyle is fraught with unpleasant consequences.
This link will show you several strategies to reduce your risk of cancer.