Exercise has numerous health benefits and is also indicated to improve the symptoms of some diseases. In fact, a new study found that it can counteract many of the negative effects associated with cancer treatment, such as damage to heart and to the nervous system, as well as mental fog (cognitive difficulties).
The results of the work were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and also show that physical activity seems to have a Positive impact In psychological well -being and in the quality of life in general, something that, according to researchers, reinforces the idea of incorporating it routinely into therapeutic protocols for cancer patients.
Yoga, one of the recommended exercises (Photo: Adobe stock)
Although several data analysis on the effects of the exercise In oncological patients, there are still important lagoons in knowledge, the authors of the study warn, who point out that, until now, an exhaustive evaluation had not been carried out that will meet the results of all the meta -analysis available on this subject in people with different types of cancer.
Exercise benefits for cancer patients
To strengthen the scientific basis that guides clinical care, researchers carried out a meta -analysis review based on clinical trials randomized, published between 2012 and July 2024. The analysis covered 485 associations extracted from 80 studies, all evaluated as moderate to high quality.
The types of exercise analyzed varied in duration and intensity, and included mind-body practices such as Yoga, Taichi or Qigong (28.5% of cases); aerobic training and force (10%); Training by high intensity intervals (HIIT) (4%); and other modalities (59%).
Force exercises have their benefits. (Photo: Adobe stock).
The benefits of exercise were studied in people with breast cancer (50% of cases), lung (10%), digestive system (4%), blood (3%), prostate (2.5%) and other types (31%). In total, 54% of the associations showed statistically significant results, and 17% and 31% of them had a high and moderate level of evidence, respectively, according to the Grade criteria, a system that evaluates the quality of scientific evidence.
The Physical activity He also improved key health indicators such as body composition or insulin levels, as well as sleep quality and mood. In comparison with not exercising, or follow only the usual medical care, physical activity reduced several side effects related to cancer and its treatment. For example, it decreased heart and neurological damage caused by chemotherapy, mental fog, and respiratory distress.
The results have limitations
The results showed that some key health indicators such as body composition, insulin levels, growth factor similar to insulin and reactive C protein also improved. To which improvements are added in the Sleep qualitymood, physical functioning, social relations and quality of life in general. In addition, moderate level evidence was found to exercise before surgery can reduce the risk of postoperative complications, pain, hospitalization time and mortality.
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Researchers warn that their results have certain limitationsfor example, the studies included varied a lot in number and characteristics, and it is possible that people with cancer who could exercise were in better health from the beginning. In addition, the side effects of treatment are not the same for all types of cancer, or for all phases of the disease.
Despite this, the authors conclude that including mind-body exercises in recommendations for cancer patients could be a very valuable option. They also point out that stronger research is needed to continue exploring benefitsbetter understand how exercise acts and design custom programs according to the type of cancer, time of treatment, exercise modality and individual characteristics of the patient.
