Exercise Could Fortify Immune System Against Future Cancers

Physical exercise (Photo credit: zhaffsky)

 

From the 10 October article at Science News Daily

 

Researchers may soon be able to add yet another item to the list of exercise’s well-documented health benefits: A preliminary study suggests that when cancer survivors exercise for several weeks after they finish chemotherapy, their immune systems remodel themselves to become more effective, potentially fending off future incidents of cancer. The finding may help explain why exercise can significantly reduce the chances of secondary cancers in survivors or reduce the chances of cancer altogether in people who have never had the disease…

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“What we’re suggesting is that with exercise, you might be getting rid of T cells that aren’t helpful and making room for T cells that might be helpful,” Bilek says.

She adds that this finding highlights the importance of exercise for all, including those with cancer and cancer survivors. These two populations might benefit especially from the heightened “cancer surveillance” — the ability of the immune system to seek out and destroy budding cancers — that this study suggests exercise brings, Bilek explains.

“There’s a litany of positive benefits from exercise,” Bilek says. “If exercise indeed strengthens the immune system and potentially improves cancer surveillance, it’s one more thing we should educate patients about as a reason they should schedule regular activity throughout their day and make it a priority in their lives.”

 

Related articles

• Exercise Helps Immune System Protect Against Future Cancers (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Small Pilot Study Suggests That T Cells Become More Responsive In Exercising Cancer Survivors Weeks After Chemo Ends (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Exercise Helps Immune System Protect Against Future Cancers – Medical News Today (drugstoresource.wordpress.com)
• How the Immune System Attacks Cancer (restoreimmunehealthdotcom2.wordpress.com)

 

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