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Even a Little Exercise Goes a Long Way for Cancer Survivors

Posted on: 12/24/2002
Cancer treatment is tough on the body and the mind. Cancer survivors finish chemotherapy and radiation treatment with less strength, stamina, and flexibility. They often feel depressed and fatigued.

Earlier research has shown that exercise programs can help cancer survivors recover physically. This small study tested the physical effects of exercise on cancer survivors. It included low-intensity exercise, which has been increasingly found to have health benefits. The study also tested how exercise affected mental state and quality of life.

Researchers enrolled 18 survivors of breast, colon, and lung cancer for a 10-week study. The survivors were divided into three groups. One group did moderate-intensity exercise. One group did low-intensity exercise. The third group, a control group, did no exercise at all.

The exercise groups did a supervised exercise session three times a week. They used the rower, treadmill, stair-climber, and stationary bicycle. Workouts were 14 minutes long at the beginning of the study. They increased by two minutes a week, so that workouts were 32 minutes long in the tenth week. The moderate-intensity group worked at up to 60 percent of their maximum heart rate, while the low-intensity group worked at up to 40 percent of theirs.

The subjects were all tested for body fat, flexibility, aerobic capacity before and after the 10 weeks. They also filled out a questionnaire on mental state and quality of life.

Both exercise groups showed similar results, which were much better than the control group. The exercisers lost body fat and had better flexibility and increased aerobic capacity. They also reported more energy, less fatigue and anxiety, and an overall better quality of life.

This was a very short-term test. Different exercise intensities could show different results over a longer period of time. But the results are positive. Even low-intensity exercise can help cancer survivors get back to the business of enjoying their lives.

References:
Timothy R. Burnham and Anthony Wilcox. Effects of Exercise on Physiological and Psychological Variables in Cancer Survivors. In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. December 2002. Vol. 34. No. 12. Pp. 1863-1867.

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