Discover how exercise releases 'cancer-fighting drugs' from within

Accordingly, there are two types of exercises that can promote the body to produce the "anti-cancer substance" myokine. This substance is secreted from muscles during exercise, according to the science news site Scitech Daily .

HIIT 30 minutes a day, strong impact on cancer cells

The study, conducted by Dr. Francesco Bettariga and colleagues at Edith Cowan University (Australia), included breast cancer patients who had been treated and stabilized. They were assigned to do endurance exercises or HIIT, 30 minutes a day, for 12 weeks.

The results showed that just one 30-minute session of endurance training or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) could stimulate the body to release large amounts of myokines. Notably, this amount was enough to have a strong impact on cancer cells, slowing tumor growth by 20-30%, according to Scitech Daily.

Photo: AI

Exercise has been recognized as an effective and safe therapeutic intervention in cancer management, both during and after treatment, Dr. Bettariga emphasized.

What exercises specifically?

Endurance exercises that help produce myokines include:

Strength training such as weight training, squats, push-ups, planks…

HIIT is a training strategy that alternates between very short bursts of high-intensity exercise and short recovery periods. These high-intensity exercise periods typically last between 15 seconds and 4 minutes, followed by rest or low-intensity activity.

HIIT can be incorporated into a variety of exercises, including running, cycling…

For example, combining a few minutes of fast running with slow recovery running increases metabolic efficiency and promotes maximum myokine release.

Research shows that both types of exercise actually produce anti-cancer myokines in cancer survivors.

This is a great motivation to add exercise as a standard adjunct to cancer treatment.