The sport defeats the cancer through increased production of glucose

Researchers from Tel Aviv University discovered that aerobic activity may reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by 72%

A new study by Tel Aviv University states that aerobic activity may reduce the risk of developing metastatic cancer by 72%. According to the researchers, through the significant aerobic activity, there is an increase in the glucose (sugar) consumption of the internal organs, so that the cancer does not have an available source of energy.

The study was conducted under the leadership of two researchers from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University: Prof. Carmit Levy from the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry and Dr. Yiftach Gefner from the School of Public Health and the Sylvan Adams Sports Institute. The study was published in the prestigious journal Cancer Research.

Prof. Levy and Dr. Gefner: "Science knows how to say that physical activity prevents some types of cancer at a rate of up to 35%, similar to its effect on other diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. Our innovation in the current study is that we show that physical activity whose energy source is sugar, that is, high-intensity aerobic activity, manages to reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by 72%. If until now we told people to be active and be healthier, today we know what activity, and at what intensity, will maximize the chance of preventing the most violent and metastatic types of cancer."

The researchers from Tel Aviv University used both model animals that were introduced to a training regimen and healthy volunteers who were tested before and after running training.

In an epidemiological study that was conducted among nearly 3000 people, which was followed for about 20 years, the researchers found that in people who reported aerobic physical activity, 72% less metastatic cancer developed, compared to people who reported lack of physical activity. According to the researchers, the reason why, both in the model animals and in humans, metastases did not develop in most cases is related to the rate of glucose consumption in the body.

In model animals, it was possible to crack the mechanism for the phenomenon observed in humans. After they got fit, the researchers sampled the animals' internal organs before and after exercise and after they got cancer. The research findings show that among the model animals it was found that aerobic exercise significantly reduced the development of metastases in the lymph nodes, lungs and liver. Prof. Levy emphasizes that the new research, which combines scientific forces from various schools within the university, has resulted in an extremely important research discovery in the prevention of metastatic cancer, which is the leading cause of death in Israel.

Prof. Levy: "For the first time, our research goes inside, into the body and deciphers the effect of sports on the internal tissues that usually host the metastases of the most difficult cancers such as lungs, liver and lymph. We found that during high-intensity aerobic activity, the internal organs increase the amount of sugar receptors in the cells and increase their glucose consumption and essentially become a well-oiled machine for ingesting sugar and energy, much like a muscle. We hypothesize that since during physical activity the muscles burn a lot of glucose, the internal organs respond to the challenge and increase their ability to absorb sugar to keep up with the competition for the sugar resource. When the cancer appears, it fails to metastasize because it is in intense competition for the glucose in the skilled tissue (the one that did gymnastics). This is a chronic condition in those who exercise regularly: the tissues of the internal organs change, and become more similar to muscle tissue, which is a very bad substrate for cancer - which also needs glucose. We all know that it is healthy to do sports. Our innovation is to go inside the organs and discover that in fact the whole body changes, and thus the cancer also does not manage to spread and metastasize and the original tumor is also small."

Dr. Gefner emphasizes that unlike physical activity for the purpose of burning fat or general health, the results of the study show that it is necessary to exercise at a high intensity to prevent the development of cancer and its spread in the body.

Dr. Gefner: "If 65-70% of the maximum heart rate is the right range for producing energy from fat, in order to 'burn' sugar you must go to 80-85% of the maximum heart rate - even for short periods of time, for example a quick run of one minute and then a walk, and again A short and fast run. If in the past such intervals were part of the unique training routine of athletes, today we already see a combination of interval training in heart and lung rehabilitation for example. The results of our research indicate that even for healthy people it is important to incorporate high-intensity exercise into their training routine. I believe that further research in the future will make it possible to offer personalized medicine to prevent specific cancers. We will go to a doctor with a family history of a certain cancer, according to which they will recommend the type of activity. It is important to emphasize that physical activity has unique metabolic and physiological effects, with results in cancer prevention that no drug or other medical intervention can achieve."

for the scientific article