If the last time you ran a mile was in your high school gym class, it might be time to dust off your running shoes. But only if you’re interested in running away from one of the most deadly and widespread diseases of the modern age…
Yes, you may already know that running prevents obesity, diabetes and heart disease. But if you need one more reason to hit the pavement, track or treadmill, here’s a biggie: It decreases your risk of getting cancer and slows the growth rate of tumors.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen found that mice who regularly ran on the mouse wheel (which is similar to running on a treadmill for humans) experienced a decreased growth rate in tumors from skin, liver and lung cancers. Mice with lung cancer also didn’t experience the weight loss typically associated with the disease when they exercised regularly.
Even more encouraging, mice who exercised regularly were less likely to get cancer to begin with. Which means the same could be true for you…
Researchers attribute the anti-cancer powers of exercise to the release of adrenaline that occurs when you get your body moving. Adrenaline is best known as the hormone behind the flight-or-fight response, but it also causes immune cells to mobilize and patrol the body.
These immune cells, known as Natural Killer (NK) cells, partner with protein IL-6, which is released by muscles when they’re active, to target and destroy the abnormal cells found in a malignant tumor.
In an effort to explore whether science could take the lazy way out of cancer (because, as you know, exercise is hard), the researchers even tried injecting adrenaline or IL-6 into the mice to see if it had the same anti-cancer effect as exercise…
It didn’t. So you’re not off the hook. You’re going to have to reap the benefits of exercise the good old fashioned way… by actually exercising. Mice injected with either substance just didn’t experience the same anti-cancer benefits as their pals that learned to love the wheel.
While these mice learned to become the Florence Griffith-Joyners of the mouse world (Flo-Jo was the fastest woman of all time, for those who don’t know), maybe running isn’t your thing. If not, pick another exercise routine. The important thing is that you stick to it — and do it every day to keep cancer away.
Editor’s note: Cancer research is moving faster than ever. But when it comes to treating and avoiding cancer, American medicine still lags woefully behind. You don’t have to wait on them to catch up: Dr. Cutler’s new cancer guide identifies dozens of proven cancer-fighting supplements, foods and therapies. Click here to get your copy, plus 3 free reports, today!
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160407121459.htm
