Metastasis—the spread of cancer to new organs—is responsible for 90% of all human cancer deaths.
Exercise—particularly high-intensity exercise—increases blood flow and shear stress in blood vessels. This mechanical force makes it harder for circulating tumor cells to survive, spread, and form metastases.
Several lines of evidence support this anti-cancer mechanism:
- In vitro studies show that exercise-equivalent levels of shear stress kill up to 90% of circulating tumor cells, including highly metastatic and drug-resistant breast cancer cells.
- In animal studies, mice who exercise have fewer circulating tumor cells and a 50–60% lower rate of metastasis and tumor growth.
- In humans, higher physical activity levels are linked to reduced cancer recurrence, possibly due to lower metastatic spread.
The powerful force of blood flow achieved during exercise actively disrupts cancer spread, which is just one of the ways exercise benefits the long-term health and survival of cancer patients.
80/20 rule. Most of the time eat healthy, workout, sleep well, hydrate…But also don’t stress about being perfect. Stressing about making the healthiest choices may be more detrimental than not making those choices …
Bikes in the wild…well, maybe just off the grid @offthegridcc . Lunch after the OCB show. @steve_wiberg (sorry your bike is hidden in this impromptu shot) @ea_banks @myjacktane That was a fun+fast ride 😜 https://t.co/DrKyUEZZFf