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A Dose of Exercise Helps Relieve the Fatigue of Chemo

Exercise is good for us in lots of ways. It tones the muscles and improves the function of the heart and lungs. Exercise is also a good treatment for fatigue. It may seem like a contradiction, but regular exercise can relieve fatigue. It is now known that regularly exercising can help relieve fatigue caused by conditions such as depression, multiple sclerosis, and chemotherapy.

This study was designed to test how well a "dose" of exercise helped combat fatigue in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. The researchers wanted to know if exercise decreased fatigue on the same day, if the effects of exercise added up over time, and how much exercise was best for decreasing fatigue.

Sixty-one women took part in an eight-week aerobic exercise program. The women were instructed never to exercise to the point that it made their pain or fatigue worse. The women logged details about their exercise and fatigue in a journal. The women also wore a meter to determine how much energy they put out in their exercise sessions.

The women were assessed at the beginning and end of the study on fatigue levels and how far they could walk in 12 minutes. By the end of the study, 61% of the women could walk an average of 15% further in the 12-minute walk test. These women tended to have exercised more frequently and for longer periods during the eight weeks. More importantly, researchers found that exercising during the day lessened fatigue from 14% to 35% during that same day. In general, the longer a woman exercised, the less fatigue she felt on that day. The only exception to this was when exercise sessions went over 60 minutes. Then the benefits reversed, and the women began to feel increased fatigue.

The energizing effects of exercise only seemed to help on the day people exercised. The benefits didn't carry over very much to the next day. Exercising every day seemed to have the best effects on fatigue levels. In other words, it took a moderate dose of exercise each day to help keep fatigue away.

Based on these results, the researchers suggest that doctors help patients find a way to exercise throughout their chemotherapy treatments. More research is suggested on the best and most realistic way for chemo patients to fight fatigue with exercise.

References: Anna L. Schwartz, et al. Exercise Reduces Daily Fatigue in Women With Breast Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy. In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. May 2001. Vol. 33. No. 5. Pp. 718-723.

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