Tel Aviv University Scientists Find Running Reduces Chance of Some Cancers by 72%

The latest research from Tel Aviv University shows that people running regularly, or engaging in some kind of aerobic exercise are 72% less likely to develop some cancers.

The study has been peer-reviewed and was published in the previous week. It disclosed that thanks to aerobic exercises, a number of organs become quite efficient when it comes to grabbing sugar.

Since they use up all the sugar in the body, the tumors are unable to get glucose, which means they cannot grow and spread in the body.

Metastatic cancer

The study in question was focused on metastatic cancer, which refers to the cancer that spreads from its original location in the human body.

According to researchers, primary tumors might also be prevented through aerobic exercise, but their focus was more on metastatic cancer because it is the leading cause of death in Israel.

Prof. Carmit Levy from the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry at Tel Aviv University, was the lead author of the study.

She said that a hostile environment was created for tumors by physical activity because it does not allow them to get access to glucose.

She said that they had used the study to show that the body could remain safe from metastatic activity via running and other forms of aerobic exercise.

They were also able to identify the mechanism that made it possible.

The study

The study comprised of two parts. The first was to use existing data of about 3,000 people and detailed their health over the course of 20 years.

This was used to assess their exercise patterns and the incidence of cancer. It showed that participants who engaged in aerobic exercise at high intensity on a regular basis were 72% less likely to suffer from metastatic cancer.

The second part of the study focused on mice while they exercised and their internal organs were analyzed after injecting cancer and before and after the exercise.

Researchers discovered that mice had a lot less metastatic tumors in their liver, lungs and lymph nodes when they engaged in aerobic exercise.

How it happened?

Along with Dr. Yftach Gepner, Levy discovered that a significant amount of glucose in the body was used by organs during aerobic exercise.

Thanks to the aerobic activity, the organs would transform into energy-consumption machines, similar to how muscles function.

She said that the most important thing was that it was not a temporary change. Instead, the tissues that make up internal organs start functioning the same way as muscle tissue.

According to Levy’s hypothesis, tumors require glucose to survive and this becomes impossible when this change in organs occur because all the glucose is used up.

She stated that this could explain what they had discovered about metastatic cancer and also explain how cancers can be prevented through regular exercise.

She said that people were already aware that physical exercise and sports are good for health, but their study had found that it can change the entire body, which prevents cancer from spreading.