Even a little bit of exercise could go a long way, recent findings from a Yale School of Medicine study in mice found.
The mice were given running wheels and they only moved as much as they wanted. But even moving just a little helped to slow tumor growth, according to findings, which were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The exercising mice diverted glucose away from the tumor toward muscle, depriving tumor cells the energy needed to grow.
“We suspect this may happen in people too, but future studies will be needed to confirm this,” said Rachel Perry at the Perry Lab at the Yale School of Medicine, and one of the authors of the study. The lab studies exercise physiology, tumor metabolism and immunometabolism.
Perry said the findings indicate that people don’t have to train for a marathon. They can simply take the stairs instead of the elevator or regularly walk around the block.
Dr. Vasanth Kainkaryam, a primary care physician in South Windsor, said he advises his patients on a daily basis to resistance-train an hour a week.
“[The] muscle is a very large consumer of sugars in the body, and a lot of times people forget the importance of muscle mass,” he said. “I tell my patients muscle mass is your currency to longevity.”
