Lowering inflammation in the body is so central to both cancer prevention and recovery.
Especially CHRONIC inflammation mediated by signal molecules such 𝐚𝐬 𝐈𝐋-𝟔 (𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝟔) released in certain conditions by LEUKOCYTES and STROMAL CELLS at inflammatory sites and the tumour microenvironment.
Indeed, a large body of evidence suggests that IL-6 promotes TUMORIGENESIS.
BUT:
Did you know that the TRANSIENT release of IL-6 by contracting skeletal MUSCLE as a result of physical activity actually has the opposite (ANTI-CANCER) effect?
It seems that muscle-derived IL-6 can:
enhance insulin sensitivity
stimulate the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines
reduce proliferation and DNA damage (in cancer cells)
stimulate tumour infiltration of cytotoxic immune cells (in mice).
These are all biological effects that help explain the well-documented impact of PHYSICAL ACTIVITY in the PREVENTION OF CANCER.
For example, we know that 𝟏𝟓𝟎–𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫: breast, colon, endometrial, kidney, and liver cancer, myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The size of the relative 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟎% 𝐭𝐨 𝟐𝟕%, depending on the cancer site.
We also know that exercise is associated with 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 in people diagnosed with colon, breast, and prostate cancers.
I find these opposing effects of IL-6 in cancer so fascinating, it has been called the ‘exercise IL-6 enigma in cancer’ by the scientists who are working to elucidate these mechanisms.
𝑂𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑆𝑇 𝑒𝑡. 𝑎𝑙. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝐼𝐿-6 𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑔𝑚𝑎 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟.
𝑃𝑀𝐼𝐷: 37633799
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