This activity can reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by 72%.

The researchers found that high-intensity aerobic exercise increased glucose consumption, reducing the amount of energy available to the tumor.

Exercise defeats cancer by increasing glucose consumption.

According to recent Tel Aviv University research, aerobic exercise can significantly reduce the risk of developing metastatic cancer by 72%. The researchers found that high-intensity aerobic exercise increased internal organ glucose (sugar) consumption, decreasing the amount of energy available to the tumor.

Professor Carmit Levy. Credit: Tel-Aviv University

Professor Carmit Levy of the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry and Dr. Yftach Gepner of the School of Public Health and Sylvan Adams Athletic Institute at TAU’s Sackler School of Medicine conducted the study. Teacher. Levy notes that the new research has resulted in a very important discovery by merging scientific know-how from different schools of TAU, which could help prevent metastatic cancer, the leading cause of death in Israel. The study was recently published on the cover of the journal of Research against cancer.

Teacher. Lévy and Dr. Gepner: “Studies have shown that physical exercise reduces the risk of certain types of cancer by up to 35%. This positive effect is similar to the impact of exercise on other conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. In this study, we added new information, showing that high-intensity aerobic exercise, which derives its energy from sugar, can reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by up to 72%. If until now the general message addressed to the public was “be active, be healthy”, we can now explain how aerobic activity can maximize the prevention of the most aggressive and metastatic types of cancer.

The research combined an animal model in which mice were trained on a strict exercise routine with data from healthy human volunteers who were assessed before and after running. Human data, obtained from an epidemiological study that followed 3,000 people for approximately 20 years, indicated 72% less metastatic cancer in participants who reported regular high-intensity aerobic activity, compared to those who have not engaged in physical exercise.

The animal model showed a similar result, also allowing researchers to identify its underlying mechanism. By sampling the internal organs of physically fit animals before and after exercise, as well as after cancer injection, they found that aerobic activity significantly reduced the development of metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes, the lungs and the liver. The researchers hypothesized that in humans and animal models, this favorable outcome is related to the exercise-induced increase in the rate of glucose consumption.

Teacher. Levy: “Our study is the first to investigate the impact of exercise on internal organs in which metastases usually develop, such as the lungs, liver and lymph nodes. By examining the cells of these organs, we found an increase in the number of glucose receptors during high-intensity aerobic activity – increasing glucose supply and turning the organs into efficient energy-consuming machines, just like muscles.

Dr. Yftach Gepner. Credit: Tel-Aviv University

She continues, “We suspect this happens because the organs have to compete for sugar resources with the muscles, which are known to burn large amounts of glucose during exercise. Therefore, if cancer develops, fierce competition for glucose reduces the energy availability essential for metastasis. In addition, when a person exercises regularly, this condition becomes permanent: the tissues of the internal organs change and become similar to muscle tissue. We all know that sport and physical exercise are good for our health. Our study, looking at internal organs, found that exercise changes the whole body so cancer can’t spread and the size of the primary tumor also decreases.

Dr. Gepner adds, “Our results indicate that unlike fat-burning exercise, which is relatively moderate, this is high-intensity aerobic activity that helps prevent cancer. While the optimal intensity range for fat burning is 65-70% of maximum heart rate, burning sugar requires 80-85%, even if only for brief intervals. For example, a one-minute sprint followed by a walk, then another sprint. In the past, these intervals were mostly typical of athlete training regimens, but today we also see them in other exercise programs, such as cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. Our results suggest that healthy individuals should also include high-intensity components in their fitness programs.

He concludes: “We believe that future studies will enable personalized medicine to prevent specific cancers, with doctors looking at family history to recommend the right kind of physical activity. It must be emphasized that physical exercise, with its unique metabolic and physiological effects, has a higher level of cancer prevention than any drug or medical intervention to date.

Reference: “An exercise-induced metabolic shield in distant organs blocks cancer progression and metastatic spread” by Danna Sheinboim, Shivang Parikh, Paulee Manich, Irit Markus, Sapir Dahan, Roma Parikh, Elisa Stubbs, Gali Cohen, Valentina Zemser-Werner, Rachel E. Bell, Sara Arciniegas Ruiz, Ruth Percik, Ronen Brenner, Stav Leibou, Hananya Vaknine, Gali Arad, Yariv Gerber, Lital Keinan-Boker, Tal Shimony, Lior Bikovski, Nir Goldstein, Keren Constantini, Sapir Labes, Shimonov Mordechai, Hila Doron, Ariel Lonescu, Tamar Ziv, Eran Nizri, Guy Choshen, Hagit Eldar-Finkelman, Yuval Tabach, Aharon Helman, Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu, Neta Erez, Eran Perlson, Tamar Geiger, Danny Ben-Zvi, Mehdi Khaled, Yftach Gepner and Carmit Lévy, November 15, 2022, Research against cancer.
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-22-0237