Exercise as medicine – Helping fight cancer

In the last article, we discussed the importance of muscle quality in the cancer journey and how exercise helps with the hallmarks of a cancer cell. In this article, I will explain the process created by cancer cells to increase oxygen and food supply (angiogenesis) and, exercise effectors to combat the process, and the role nutrition plays in the cancer journey.

Angiogenesis is the building or creation of vasculature (blood vessels), a natural physical response to stressors such as exercise, wound healing, and menstruation. Our body closely controls angiogenesis, aiming to maintain our finely balanced internal systems (called keeping Homeostasis).

Tumours creating imbalance

As a cancer tumour grows, it will require a supply of food and oxygen to enable the replicative immortality process of cancer growth to continue. The tumour will also want to move to other areas in the body that suit its needs (metastasis), continuing the spread of the disease. A cancer growth that needs food and oxygen will ‘hijack’ our natural processes by stimulation of two significant proteins called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (a or c), which attach to respective receptors on the outside of our cells in close vasculature. These proteins stimulate the degradation of the layers of arteries and veins and then the building of branches to the tumour.

In normal circumstances, our body would stop this by down-regulating the protein action with angioinhibitors such as angiostatin and endostatin. Here is where the cancer tumour shows how challenging it is to stop. Not only does it stimulate the proteins for the growth required, but it will also turn off the inhibitors that prevent the process from occurring.

Typically, building blood vessels to the tumour would also mean that treatment with chemotherapy drugs would be able to reach and kill the tumour; however, this is not the case.  The vessels built are often of poor structure, blocked or damaged, or ineffective for normal blood flow. Ultimately, they will be enough to sustain tumour growth and metastasis but be inadequate for normal blood flow.

When we exercise (particularly cardiovascular types), acute actions can help treat a tumour, with chronic adaptations helping long-term disease management. Acutely our blood vessels go through a process called vasodilation, allowing stronger blood flow to the body, whilst chronic adaptations are the building of strong, healthy, and resilient blood vessels into the deeper outreaches of our body. Processes like this allow our immune cells and any chemotherapy treatment to have a greater chance of finding the tumours and having the required effects. Combining cardiovascular exercise (for improved vessels) and resistance training (to boost our immune system) could be powerful tools in helping fight cancers.

David Hoffman of David’s Health and Lifestyle studios

Cancer and nutrition

Having the right balance of nutrients and energy sources during all stages of the cancer continuum has been shown to help attenuate some of the side effects such as muscle loss, cachexia, and malnutrition.  If you look on the internet, there are many unqualified and untested eating plans or superfoods that are marketed as a tool to help you win the battle. Unfortunately, when desperate and looking for anything to help, people often take these pathways. The wrong nutrition or use of supplements that are not prescribed may be feeding and promoting tumour growth.  If you are looking at the right pathway to optimal nutrition while dealing with cancer see a qualified and

Experienced cancer dietition.

In the next article I will cover some more hallmarks that exercise can combat, lifestyle factors that may be related to increased cancer risks, and the epigenerational effect these may have on your family.

If you have any questions on exercise and cancer, feel free to email me at david.ba.hoffmann@gmail.com or see our website.

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