A strong evidence suggests that exercising reduces side-effects during cancer treatment and increases survival.
Cancer patients can reduce the risk of recurrence or strengthen the heart damaged by toxic chemotherapy through exercises, researchers have said.
Martijn Stuiver, a professor at Amsterdam University and a researcher at Netherlands Cancer Institute, said at a health summit in Sweden last week that a strong evidence suggests that exercising reduces side-effects during treatment and increases survival.
“Cancer patients’ cardiovascular system ages faster and exercises may counter this. Exercises also helps lower chronic cancer fatigue, boosts the mood and gives a patient a sense of self efficacy. All these things add up,’’ Dr Stuiver told Business Daily.
Very few oncologists recommend regular physical exercises to patients, in addition to surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
To benefit from exercise, Dr Stuiver said, one needs to be physically active in bouts of about 10 minutes and not necessarily in a gym. It can be walking or resistance training using body weight.
‘’But overweight patients, those battling other diseases such as diabetes and who have not exercised before, are considered high-risk and should first be screened for heart ailments before they are cleared to do exercises,’’ said the professor of functional recovery from cancer.
Also those taking chemo drugs such as doxorubicin, mostly used to treat breast cancer, leukemia, multiple myeloma and which may weaken the heart muscles, should be cleared by a doctor before they start exercising.
Cancer survivors should do 150 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming, cycling, dancing or boxing and at least two resistance training workouts in a week which can be push-ups, deadlifts or lunges.
However, contrary to beliefs, exercises do not help flush out the toxic chemotherapy from the body.
‘’Actually, what exercise does is help chemo work better. Also, a recent study showed that in breast cancer patients, the cells are affected by acute exercises in such a way that the cancer becomes less aggressive,’’ he said.
When running, research shows, the blood composition changes, hence reducing growth of breast cancer.
Also, there has been increasing evidence showing that workouts increase tolerability of cancer treatment.
For instance, most patients complain of stiff joints and exercises help ease the pain.
As researchers push for exercises to be prescribed to all cancer patients, they are also warning against some diets.
Many patients are turning to unproven diets to fight cancer, even though there are no clinical trials to prove their successes.
“If you have cancer and you eat less, there is a risk that you will start losing muscle mass. So, it is important to have a high protein diet and low intake of carbohydrates,’’ said Dr Stuiver.
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