Recent studies have demonstrated that physical activity has a powerful impact on mitigating the adverse effects of cancer therapies. It has a huge impact on things like brain fog, fatigue, and pain. This study demonstrates the remarkable difference that physical activity can make in restoring quality of life for cancer patients. It’s increasingly important for people receiving treatments such as chemotherapy.
The results show that physical activity has the potential to reduce a wide range of symptoms often experienced by cancer patients. In particular, peripheral neuropathy, brain fog, fatigue, anxiety and shortness of breath had significant improvement with consistent exercise. It seems that physical activity does more than just make these difficult side effects bearable; it works to improve quality of life.
Specifically, the study found a 54% statistical significance within those associations that exercise leads to fewer side effects from therapy. Additionally, almost half (48%) of these associations were underpinned by high or moderate certainty evidence as per GRADE criteria. The types of exercise studied included a diverse range: aerobic exercises (9.9%), high-intensity interval training (HIIT) (3.7%), mind-body exercises such as tai chi (28.5%), and other forms of physical activity (57.9%).
According to Milan Sheth, MD, a quadruple board-certified physician with MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute, you can get the most from these findings. He states, “Reinforces what we all suspected based on our own clinical experience amongst patients receiving chemotherapy.” Addressing the side effects, Dr. Sheth emphasizes how side effects caused by chemotherapy, such as pain and gastrointestinal symptoms, can be reduced with increased physical activity.
The study’s author can’t overstate how important chemo was in extending life. It warns that this aggressive treatment erodes patients’ quality of life. Bhavana Pathak, an advocate for patient health, notes, “The therapy we give — while it could keep you alive — can take away a life worth living, without the means to articulate, adapt, and engineer your life.” She encourages oncology professionals to continue the trend of inspiring their patients to be physically active. Added physical activity is a critical drug-free element of their treatment plan.
Exercise has also been effective at managing cancer treatment-related fatigue. Patients often say they feel less fatigued, have more energy once they make regular physical activity part of their life. The increase in energy helps you sleep better at night and enhances your mood. All that combined will make you feel healthier and happier.
“Specifically, the symptoms that seem to be most impacted or improved included peripheral neuropathy, brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, and shortness of breath. Equally important were improvements in the patient’s quality of life, in terms of muscle strength, healthier body composition, sleep quality, and enhanced mood.”
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