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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 45 minutes of high-intensity cycling 3 days a week \u2013 was specific by design, said oncologist Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, MD, PhD, a professor of clinical cancer prevention and the study\u2019s lead author. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to be very concrete on the recommendation,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t adhere to vague lifestyle advice like \u2018just exercise.\u2019 We wanted to link a specific biologic effect to a very concrete intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.
\nExercise and the Immune System<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells \u2013 in the blood and colon tissues. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the immune cells that are in charge of attacking foreign entities like cancer cells,\u201d Vilar-Sanchez said, \u201cand they were more active with the participants who exercised.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.
\nThe researchers believe the changes relate to a boost in the body\u2019s \u201cimmune surveillance\u201d system for hunting down and clearing out cells that would otherwise become cancerous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n
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