ISLAMABAD, Oct. 5 (ONLINE): Forty-five minutes of intense exercise three times a week may reduce cancer risk in patients with Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition that can lead to cancer at a young age.
That amount of exercise made the immune system more able to stamp out cancer cells, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found. The intervention – 45 minutes of high-intensity cycling 3 days a week – was specific by design, said oncologist Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, MD, PhD, a professor of clinical cancer prevention and the study’s lead author.
“We wanted to be very concrete on the recommendation,” he said. “People don’t adhere to vague lifestyle advice like ‘just exercise.’ We wanted to link a specific biologic effect to a very concrete intervention.”
The study was small (just 21 people), but it builds on a vast body of evidence linking regular exercise to a decreased risk of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. But the MD Anderson researchers went a step further, investigating how exercise might lower cancer risk.
Exercise and the Immune System
All 21 people in the study had Lynch syndrome, and they were divided into two groups. One was given a 12-month exercise program; the other was not. The scientists checked their cardio and respiratory fitness and tracked immune cells – natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells – in the blood and colon tissues.
“These are the immune cells that are in charge of attacking foreign entities like cancer cells,” Vilar-Sanchez said, “and they were more active with the participants who exercised.”
People in the exercise group also saw a drop in levels of the inflammatory marker prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The drop was closely linked to the increase in immune cells. Both changes suggest a stronger immune response.
The researchers believe the changes relate to a boost in the body’s “immune surveillance” system for hunting down and clearing out cells that would otherwise become cancerous.
Follow the PNI Facebook page for the latest news and updates.
