In a recent article published in Cancer Research, scientists at Tel Aviv University in Israel have used several experiments to reveal why high-intensity exercise can prevent the emergence and recurrence of cancer.
The study shows that regular high-intensity aerobic exercise induces changes in the metabolism of internal organs and increases the demand for nutrients, which in turn limits the nutrient acquisition and metastasis of cancer cells.
In a prospective study investigating more than 2,000 participants who initially did not develop cancer and were followed for up to 20 years, scientists
The scientists found that regular high-intensity aerobic exercise (e.g., 10 minutes of exercise per day) had only a modest effect on the incidence of low metastatic cancers, but significantly reduced the incidence of high metastatic cancers, with a 72% reduction in the odds of developing cancer.
They found a similar phenomenon in mice with melanoma, where exercise prevented cancer cells from metastasizing to distant organs.
Exercise induces changes in the body’s catabolic processes, glucose uptake, mitochondrial activity, and more.
In the plasma of subjects who exercise daily, carbohydrate utilization is increased after exercise, which also reduces the feasibility of tumors to obtain the energy needed for growth.
