How Physical Activity Boosts the Immune System
In this article, we’ll explore recent research that demonstrates how regular physical activity enhances the immune system and can support cancer treatment. We’ll also share practical tips to help you incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
When facing a cancer diagnosis, it’s natural to wonder what steps you can take to support your body’s natural defences. While treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation play a crucial role, research increasingly points to exercise as an invaluable tool in supporting the immune system.
You might already know that physical activity can enhance mood and overall well-being, but did you know it also plays a significant role in strengthening the immune system, particularly in those with cancer?
How Exercise Boosts Your Immune System
The immune system is our body’s defence mechanism, protecting us from infections and diseases. Research highlights that regular physical activity can significantly improve immune system functioning, enhancing the circulation of immune cells and improving their ability to detect and combat disease. This is vital in cancer prevention and recovery.
Exercise helps regulate stress hormones like cortisol, which can suppress immune function when levels are too high. By maintaining balanced cortisol levels through physical activity, you support overall immune health. Additionally, physical activity improves metabolism and helps maintain a healthy weight. Given that obesity and metabolic disorders like diabetes are known risk factors for cancer, managing weight through exercise can reduce your risk.
Here’s a closer look at how exercise achieves these benefits:
Strengthening Immune Cells:
Exercise boosts the activity of immune cells such as natural killer cells and T-cells. These cells are crucial for identifying and destroying cancerous cells. By enhancing their function, exercise helps your body detect and eliminate cancer cells more effectively.
Reducing Inflammation:
Long-term inflammation in the body can increase the risk of developing cancer. Exercise helps to calm this inflammation, which not only lowers the risk of cancer but also eases some of the symptoms and side effects that come with cancer and its treatments.
Improving Immune Response:
Physical activity improves the circulation of immune cells throughout the body. This enhanced circulation ensures that immune cells are effectively transported throughout the body and available to combat potential threats, including cancer cells. Additionally, exercise helps regulate stress hormones, which can negatively impact immune function if not managed properly.
Exercise as an Adjuvant Therapy
Exercise can be a valuable addition to traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy.
At Penny Brohn UK we champion exercise as a complementary approach to your treatment, here’s how it can work:
- Enhancing Treatment Efficacy: Exercise can improve the effectiveness of traditional cancer treatments by increasing blood flow and oxygen to tumours. This makes cancer cells more susceptible to treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
- Reducing Treatment Side Effects: Cancer treatments often come with side effects like fatigue, nausea, and muscle weakness. Exercise can help alleviate these side effects, improve physical fitness, and boost energy levels. This leads to a higher quality of life during treatment.
- Supporting Immunotherapy: A study found that regular physical activity can help your body respond better to immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment. Exercise helps your immune system work more effectively, making it more responsive to the treatment. By boosting your immune function and helping you tolerate therapy better, exercise becomes a valuable partner in your cancer treatment plan.
Understanding How Exercise Intensity Affects Immunity
A study looked at how different levels of exercise intensity can affect the immune system. Here’s what they found:
- Moderate Exercise: Activities like brisk walking or light jogging are great for boosting your immune system. They help immune cells move around your body without putting too much stress on it. This type of exercise is especially good for cancer patients because it supports the immune system while being easy to manage and less likely to cause fatigue or other symptoms.
- High-Intensity Exercise: Intense activities like competitive sports or interval training can give your immune system a quick boost, but doing too much can actually weaken it temporarily. If you have cancer, it’s best to be cautious with high-intensity exercise and consult with a healthcare professional, as it can be more demanding and might not be suitable for everyone, especially during intensive treatments.
- Low-Intensity Exercise: Gentle activities like stretching or yoga are excellent for keeping flexible and reducing stress. While they might not boost immune cells as much as moderate exercise, they are important for overall well-being and are a great starting point if you’re new to exercise or feeling fatigued from treatment.
- Balance and Recovery: It’s important to balance exercise with rest. Regular exercise is beneficial, but it’s also crucial to allow your body time to recover, especially after intense activities. This balance helps prevent overtraining and keeps your immune system strong.
Getting Started with Exercise
With lots of evidence showing how exercise can boost your immune system, here are some ways to start including it in your life, especially if you’re undergoing cancer treatment:
Start small:
Begin by adding a little more movement to your day without pushing yourself too hard. If you’re new to exercise, start with gentle activities like walking, stretching, or yoga. As you get stronger, you can slowly increase the intensity. We offer a variety of online classes at Penny Brohn UK, so there’s something for everyone.
Follow Activity Guidelines:
The World Health Organisation suggests aiming for 150-300 minutes of moderate exercise each week, plus a couple of strength sessions. But remember, any activity is good, so do what feels right for you.
Listen to Your Body:
Pay attention to how you feel during and after exercising. Some days you might feel like doing a strength class, while other days, a gentle walk or some stretching might be better. The key is to be consistent and adjust your routine as needed.
Listen to Your Body:
Get Professional Advice: Exercise should be tailored to your specific situation, considering factors like your type of cancer, treatment stage, and overall health. Talking to a healthcare provider or a fitness expert who specialises in cancer care can help you create a plan that suits your needs. If you need extra support, you can book a one-on-one session with our physiotherapist. Just contact Client Support at 0303 3000 118 or email clientsupport@pennybrohn.org.uk to set up an appointment.
Conclusion
It’s clear that staying active can really help your immune system, especially during cancer treatment. Exercise can help your body keep an eye out for problems, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and even have a positive effect on tumours. But it’s important to find the right balance—regular, moderate exercise is usually the best approach.
Remember, the goal is not to overdo it but to find a routine that makes you feel good. Even small amounts of movement can make a big difference in your health. Start with what feels right for you, set achievable goals, and most importantly, enjoy the process of getting stronger and feeling more in control of your health.
If you need more guidance or support, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any of our class associates. You’re not alone on this journey.
Emily Spillman (Physical Activity Lead at Penny Brohn UK)
References
Lyu, D. (2024) ‘Immunomodulatory effects of exercise in cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy: a narrative review’, *Frontiers in Physiology*, 14, p. 1292580. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1292580 (Accessed: 18 September 2024).
Suzuki, K. and Hayashida, H. (2021) ‘Effect of exercise intensity on cell-mediated immunity’, *Sports*, 9(1), p. 8. doi: 10.3390/sports9010008.
Gustafson, M.P., Wheatley-Guy, C.M., Rosenthal, A.C., et al. (2021) ‘Exercise and the immune system: taking steps to improve responses to cancer immunotherapy’, *Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer*, 9, e001872. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001872.