Research from the Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found that exercise may be a key weapon in fighting against cancer.
When we exercise, our muscles secrete a protein called myokines into our blood. ECU has learned that myokine can suppress tumor growth and even actively fight cancerous cells.
Learn more about the study below:
“A clinical trial saw obese prostate cancer patients undergo regular exercise training for 12 weeks, giving blood samples before and after the exercise program.
Researchers then took the samples and applied them directly onto living prostate cancer cells.
Study supervisor Professor Robert Newton said the results help explain why cancer progresses more slowly in patients who exercise.
‘The patients’ levels of anti-cancer myokines increased in the three months,’ he said.
‘When we took their pre-exercise blood and their post-exercise blood and placed it over living prostate cancer cells, we saw a significant suppression of the growth of those cells from the post-training blood.
“That’s quite substantial indicating chronic exercise creates a cancer suppressive environment in the body.’
PhD candidate and research lead Jin-Soo Kim said while myokines could signal cancer cells to grow slower – or stop completely – they were unable to kill the cells by themselves.
However, he said myokines can team up with other cells in the blood to actively fight cancer.
‘Myokines in and of themselves don’t signal the cells to die,’ Mr Kim said.
‘But they do signal our immune cells – T-cells – to attack and kill the cancer cells.'”
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