Single High-Intensity Workout May Help Fight Cancer Cell Growth, Study Shows

Australian researchers found one intense exercise session can slow breast cancer cell development. Edith Cowan University scientists studied 32 women who finished breast cancer treatment but weren’t exercising regularly. Participants completed either high-intensity interval training or weightlifting sessions. Researchers collected blood samples before and after workouts to test against breast cancer cells in laboratory conditions. Pre-exercise blood showed no impact on cancer cells, but post-workout blood contained elevated myokines—muscle-released proteins that inhibited or killed cancer cells. Interval training produced the highest levels of IL-6, a protein linked to immune response and inflammation. Senior study author Robert Newton noted that “people with cancer who increase their muscle mass through resistance training also experience greater rises in circulating myokines.” (Story URL)