New Delhi, Jan 3 || Short bursts of energetic activity for 10 minutes daily could not only increase your fitness levels, but also help fight bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, according to a study.
The study by researchers at Newcastle University showed that short and intense exercise activity can trigger rapid molecular changes in the bloodstream, shutting down bowel cancer growth and speeding up DNA damage repair.
They found that exercise increases the concentration of several small molecules in the blood -- many linked to reducing inflammation, improving blood vessel function, and metabolism.
When these exercise-induced molecules were applied to bowel cancer cells in the lab, the activity of more than 1,300 genes was altered, including those involved in DNA repair, energy production, and cancer cell growth.
The findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, help explain one way exercise can protect against bowel cancer: by sending molecular signals in the bloodstream that influence the activity of genes that govern tumor growth and genome instability.