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According to an Israeli study, the simple fact of running regularly would favor an environment hostile to the development of tumors, reducing their risk of appearance by up to 72%.
Should you put on your sneakers to avoid cancer? Yes, according to the conclusion of a hopeful study by Tel Aviv University. Thus, according to Israeli researchers, the “cardio” activity induced by running, or aerobics, would considerably reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by depriving cancer cells of the glucose necessary for their development.
The study, published November 1 in the journal cancer-researchhad two parts: one on humans, the second on mice.
The first involved analyzing existing health data from 3,000 people over 20 years, to compare exercise patterns and cancer incidence. This first part indicated that there was a reduction in the risk of metastatic cancers of 72% in participants who reported regular high-intensity activity, compared to those who did not exercise.
The second part of the study involved monitoring mice while they exercised, then analyzing their internal organs before and after exercise, and after cancer injection. Researchers found that mice that performed cardio activity had significantly fewer metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes, lungs, and liver.
Why ? The authors of the study found that during exercise, the organs, consuming energy, capture a large part of the glucose available in the body. However, tumors deprived of glucose prove incapable of developing and even less of propagating.
Good in your body, good in your head!
Exercise deprives potential tumors of glucose
“Physical activity creates a hostile environment for tumors by creating an environment where it has difficulty obtaining glucose”, confirms Professor Carmit Levy, first author of the study proud to have updated a hitherto unknown mechanism: “We showed in this study that running and other cardio activities protect the body from metastatic activity, and discovered how this is possible.”
A small clarification: if the study focused on metastatic cancer, that is to say cancer that has spread from its original location in the body, it is because it has is the leading cause of death in Israel. However, the researchers believe that this is also valid for primary tumors. “This finding in metastatic cancer could explain the apparent benefits of exercise in preventing other cancers” they mention. However, this remains to be verified by other studies.
Be that as it may, if while doing you good, physical exercise also harms potential metastatic cancers, then you have every reason to get back to it quickly.