In a new study, researchers found exercise may play a role in reducing the growth of colon cancer cells.
They found that after a short session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), the growth of colon cancer cells was reduced, and this also increased indicators of inflammation.
The research was conducted by a team at The University of Queensland and elsewhere.
For a long time, the focus on exercise has been on the positive changes in the body that occur following a long period of training.
However, this study suggests that the effects following a single session of HIIT, an exercise regime involving short, high energy bursts are also important.
The changes following HIIT suggest that repeated exposure to the acute effects of exercise may contribute to the fight against cancer.
These results reinforce the importance of doing regular exercise and maintaining a physically active lifestyle.
The study involved colorectal cancer survivors completing either a single session of HIIT or 12 sessions over 4 weeks.
Their blood samples were collected either immediately after the single session of exercise or at rest after 4 weeks of training and were then analyzed to study the growth of colon cancer cells.
The team found that exercise could play a role in inhibiting the growth of colon cancer cells.
After an acute bout of HIIT, there were specific increases in inflammation immediately after exercise, which is hypothesized to be involved in reducing the number of cancer cells.
This suggests that a physically active lifestyle may be important in tackling human colorectal tumors.
Importantly, the method used to model the colon cancer cells in the laboratory is very different from how they grow in the human body, requiring future research to translate these findings into human tumors.
One author of the study is James Devin.
The study is published in The Journal of Physiology.
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