A recent study revealed an important role for exercise in slowing the growth of tumors, by diverting glucose and oxygen to skeletal and cardiac muscles instead of feeding cancer cells, which reduces the ability of tumors to grow rapidly, according to the Medical Express website.
Exercise transfers glucose from tumors to muscles
A team of researchers studied the effect of exercise on the growth of tumors in mice that were injected with breast cancer cells.
The mice were divided into two groups:
- A group on a high-fat diet (60% of calories from fat) and voluntary access to running wheels.
- A control group followed a normal diet without exercise.
Using glucose tracking techniques and the amino acid glutamine, the team observed after four weeks that the active mice experienced a reduction in the size of their tumors by up to 60% compared to inactive mice. The exercised mice also showed higher glucose uptake in cardiac and skeletal muscles, compared to lower glucose uptake in the tumors themselves.
Prehabilitation: How to protect your pre-cancer fitness
The study showed that exercising before tumors appeared, what is known as “prehabilitation,” provided similar benefits, as it helped improve body composition and general physical fitness, which may reduce the possibility of tumors growing in the future.
Genes and mTOR: Exercise reprograms the body to resist the growth of tumors
The researchers explained that redirecting glucose to muscles plays a key role in slowing the growth of cancer cells, with changes in 417 genes related to energy metabolism and other metabolic pathways. A downregulation of mTOR, an essential enzyme that controls cell growth and metabolism, has also been observed, limiting the ability of tumors to utilize amino acids for growth.
The study analyzed genetic data from women with breast cancer, and the results indicate that exercise increases the regulation of glutamine and leucine directing genes in the muscles, which enhances the body’s ability to resist the growth of tumors in humans as well.
Summary and recommendations of researchers
The study authors confirm that incorporating physical activity into cancer treatment plans, and understanding how glucose is directed after exercise, may open horizons for anti-tumor treatments and reveal new therapeutic targets, especially in patients who are unable to exercise.
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesto shed light on the relationship between physical fitness and the growth of cancerous tumors, and open new horizons in prevention and treatment.
