Friday, May. 14th 2010 11:39 PM by admin
Who has the energy to exercise regularly? Well, to be sure, not me and I am by no means a lazy person. (Just to give you a little bit of insight into my life, I have marathon running listed under ‘interests’ on my resume). I therefore CANNOT imagine what kind of motivation it must take to exercise for someone who is undergoing chemo for breast cancer.
While exercise has been the subject of many studies on how to prevent cancer, a new study, done by Professor Kerry Courneya at University of Alberta (Canada), is taking a look at exercise on the post-diagnosis side.
He recruited over 200 women with breast cancer who were beginning chemo and grouped them into 3 categories: resistance training, aerobic exercise and “usual care” (aka nothing). The most novel finding was the group that was doing weight resistance training actually increased their ability to complete chemo on time.
The reasoning behind why the weight resistance might have helped the patients is unknown, but Courneya speculates that workouts boost white blood cell counts. As he mentioned to a HealthDay reporter earlier this month, “If white blood cell counts fall during chemo, the chemotherapy sometimes has to be delayed or the amount of the drug given is reduced”
Both exercise groups also showed improvement in overall self esteem, an important issue when undergoing chemo because of hair loss and other concerns. So, even though it may be counterintuitive to exercise while undergoing treatment, there may be noticeable benefits.
Obviously, all cancer patients considering exercise should consult their doctor first.
Exercise Benefits for Chemo PatientsWho has the energy to exercise regularly? Well, to be sure, not me and I am by no means a lazy person. (Just to give you a little bit of insight into my life, I have marathon running listed under ‘interests’ on my resume). I therefore CANNOT imagine what kind of motivation it must take to exercise for someone who is undergoing chemo for breast cancer.
While exercise has been the subject of many studies on how to prevent cancer, a new study, done by Professor Kerry Courneya at University of Alberta (Canada), is taking a look at exercise on the post-diagnosis side.
He recruited over 200 women with breast cancer who were beginning chemo and grouped them into 3 categories: resistance training, aerobic exercise and “usual care” (aka nothing). The most novel finding was the group that was doing weight resistance training actually increased their ability to complete chemo on time.
The reasoning behind why the weight resistance might have helped the patients is unknown, but Courneya speculates that workouts boost white blood cell counts. As he mentioned to a HealthDay reporter earlier this month, “If white blood cell counts fall during chemo, the chemotherapy sometimes has to be delayed or the amount of the drug given is reduced”
Both exercise groups also showed improvement in overall self esteem, an important issue when undergoing chemo because of hair loss and other concerns. So, even though it may be counterintuitive to exercise while undergoing treatment, there may be noticeable benefits.
Obviously, all cancer patients considering exercise should consult their doctor first.
