Everything we know about how exercise fights the effects of cancer

It’s well known that people’s overall lifestyle affects their risk of developing cancer.

The disease has been tied to what we eat and drink, the air we breathe and even how much sun we’re exposed to.

And cancer touches the majority of Americans, with over two million expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

But increasing research conducted over the last few decades shows how fitness can curtail cancer risk – and even help keep cancer from coming back.

One trial last year showed that colon cancer patients who participated in an exercise program over three years were less likely to see their cancers recur and had increased survival. That’s because exercise appears to increase the activity of cancer-fighting immune cells.

Exercise has also been shown to lessen inflammation and insulin, which are linked to some cancers, according to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

“If we had a drug with this magnitude of benefit, it would immediately become standard of care and funded” by insurance companies, Dr. Christopher Booth, an oncologist and professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, told The New York Times on Tuesday.

While more research is needed to understand the processes in the body that occur when cancer patients exercise, the overall evidence supports the benefits of exercise for people battling the disease, experts say.

“The science shows that exercising during cancer treatment eases fatigue, anxiety and depression while improving quality of life and physical function,” Karen Basen-Engquist, director of MD Anderson’s Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, explained.

So how much is enough to see these benefits?

Cancer patients of all ages should get around 30 minutes of daily exercise – including resistance training and aerobic exercise, according to most guidance.

That’s the same recommendation as for people without cancer. Fortunately, the 30-minutes of exercise doesn’t have to be a high-impact workout.

Walking, in particular, has shown results, leading to higher quality of life and lower fatigue in patients, a study of more than 1,700 patients with colorectal cancer found.

And calming yoga can help with sleep, anxiety and mood, according to the University of Rochester Medicine.

Exercise can also fight groggy “chemo brain” by improving blood flow, reducing inflammation and leading to brain changes that support learning and memory.

Exercising for up to 150 minutes a week before getting chemotherapy was shown to keep cognitive impairment associated with treatment at bay, according to a 2021 study of breast cancer patients.

For breast cancer patients, exercise may also lower the risk of lymphedema – swelling in the arms and legs – and other complications that people tend to experience after breast cancer treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“There are a lot of training regimens that have shown to have a myriad of positive outcomes for patients with breast cancer,” Dr. Andrea L. Cheville, a physiatrist at Mayo Clinic, said in February.