Exercise releases muscle proteins that may help slow breast cancer cell growth.
- Exercise releases myokines that fight cancer cell growth
- HIIT triggers a stronger IL-6 spike than resistance training
- Blood after exercise reduced breast cancer cell growth by 20–29%
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, with millions of new cases every year. Survivors are at risk of recurrence even after treatment. Researchers are currently investigating how exercise, in addition to its established positive effects, can be used to help the body against breast cancer (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
A single bout of resistance or high-intensity interval training increases anti-cancer myokines and suppresses cancer cell growth in vitro in survivors of breast cancer
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New studies have concentrated on the special proteins referred to as myokines that are secreted by muscles during exercise and may be involved in reducing the growth of cancer cells.
Research conducted by Edith Cowan University examined the effects of two forms of exercise, Resistance Training (RT) and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), on these cancer-fighting proteins in breast cancer survivors.
Muscles as Medicine
Skeletal muscles are not only about strength, but they are like mini-pharmacies that deliver signaling molecules known as myokines during exercise.
- Interleukin 6 (IL-6): Triggers cancer cell death.
- Oncostatin M (OSM): Helps keep cancer cells dormant.
- Decorin: Slows tumor growth.
- Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC): Reduces cancer cell spread.
These myokines circulate in the blood and may help suppress tumor activity.
The Study: RT vs HIIT
Researchers included 32 women who had completed breast cancer treatment in the study. One group performed resistance training (RT), which includes weightlifting-style exercises, while the other did high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involves short bursts of high-intensity cardio with rest.
To examine the impact of exercise on myokine levels and its effect on breast cancer cells in the lab, blood samples were collected before and after exercise.
Boost in Cancer-Fighting Proteins
- The post-exercise increase in key myokine levels (decorin, IL-6, and SPARC) was between 9% and 47% in both groups.
- Even 30 minutes later, IL-6 remained elevated in both groups, but Oncostatin M remained elevated in the RT group.
- The only apparent distinction between groups was that HIIT resulted in a greater spike of IL-6 immediately following exercise.
Reduced Cancer Cell Growth
Exercise-induced blood decreased the proliferation of aggressive breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) in the laboratory by 20-21% as soon as it was taken and 19-29% 30 minutes later. The cancer-suppressing effect of HIIT blood was more pronounced immediately after exercise than RT.
This study adds to growing evidence that exercise acts like medicine for cancer survivors. Importantly, these benefits were seen in triple-negative breast cancer cells, a tough-to-treat type that does not respond to hormones.
A single exercise can bring about transformations in the body that reduce cancer cell proliferation. Although we are yet to understand whether these short-term effects accumulate to produce long-term protection, the results highlight that exercise is a powerful, safe, and accessible intervention to be used by breast cancer survivors in combination with standard care.
Both strength training and HIIT show promise, but HIIT might give a stronger short-term boost to cancer-fighting proteins!
Reference:
- A single bout of resistance or high-intensity interval training increases anti-cancer myokines and suppresses cancer cell growth in vitro in survivors of breast cancer – (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12259798/)
Source-Medindia