According to Cancer Research UK, someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes in the UK and 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. These are scary statistics but as runners we have a gift. Not only do we have a very powerful tool to help us reduce our risks of getting cancer in the first place but also one we can use to help us through diagnosis and treatment, to piece us back together afterwards and to reduce the risk of cancer returning. While running can’t solve everything, being active is known to be a vital part of cancer management.
How does running help combat cancer?
We all know that running is good for us but how does it actually reduce the likelihood of us getting cancer, improve our chances of becoming cancer free or of cancer recurring after treatment?
Research is ongoing but there seem to be numerous ways in which exercise could be beneficial against cancer. Firstly, inflammation causes and speeds up many diseases and exercise is an antiinflammatory. We can reduce inflammation by being regularly active and minimising our sedentary time. Secondly, exercise helps reduce our visceral fat. Visceral fat is harmful, internal fat which sits deep inside, around our internal organs, and is known to cause inflammation. Thirdly, exercise triggers our muscles to release substances called myokines which travel in our circulation and have an antiinflammatory effect. After vigorous activity such as running, myokines can circulate for several hours.
Exercise also helps our immune system to fight cancer. Cells called natural killer cells are one tool our immune system uses to protect itself, and when cancer cells are discovered, the natural killer cells recognise them as abnormal and try to destroy them. Moderate exercise has been shown to increase the number and activity of natural killer cells.
When it comes to breast cancer, Dr Liz O’Riordan, author of The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer, says, “We don’t know why, at a cellular level, exercise reduces the risk of breast cancer or the risk of it coming back. Trials are looking into this but there is enough evidence to show that it can reduce it happening or recurring by 30 percent.
“It may be exercise’s impact on the immune response of the body. The way exercise can reduce body fat levels can play a role too. When you are obese, you have higher levels of inflammation in the body, higher insulin levels and you produce more oestrogen too, all of which can affect your risk.”
Running when you’re diagnosed with cancer
Going for a run might be the last thing on your mind when you receive a diagnosis of cancer. It might also be the first thing you want to do if you’re someone who uses running to help you process your thoughts and emotions. “I was already running before I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020,” shares Nicky. “I was 58 and had been running since the age of 20. Running is a time for me to reflect so I think it helped me process the diagnosis.”
Dr O’Riordan feels strongly that women should be advised to exercise from the moment they are told they have breast cancer. “It should be the first drug we prescribe to anyone with breast cancer,” she explains. “I wish everyone was encouraged to move from the day of diagnosis. The fitter you can get in those two or three weeks when you’re waiting to have surgery or start chemotherapy, the better you will feel and the better
We say that if exercise was a pill, everyone would be taking it. It’s true because it has so many benefits
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