While regular exercise has long been known to provide significant health benefits, researchers at the University have found it also reduces one's chance of developing skin cancer.
University professor Allan H. Conney and his colleagues from the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute have conducted a series of trials on mice. Some were exposed to tumor-inducing ultraviolet B light and had continuous access to running wheels, and some had similar exposure to UVB, yet lacked a readily available source of exercise.
The results showed that mice with access to the running wheels had a delayed development of skin tumors - as well as a lower rate of appearance and smaller size of tumors as compared to the latter group.
Both groups exhibited a progressively larger number of tumor growths with time. However, mice with access to running wheels had approximately 32 percent fewer tumors than those without access to the exercise device.
The results of this study were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
For researchers, the underlying biological mechanism of tumor-growth inhibition proved to be more important than the results.
Subsequent to the studies reported in the article that appeared in the journal, scientists updated their work to suggest that physical activity contributes to UVB-induced apoptosis - preprogrammed cell death - in both the skin and UVB-induced tumors.
This process is considered a naturally occurring mechanism in the body, responsible for destroying sun-damaged skin cells.
Scientists found a second correlation exists between the total body fat of the sedentary mice and the increased incidence of tumor growth. While exercising, mice had a greater intake of nutrients and fluids. The fat did not accumulate in their body as compared to their inactive counterparts.
The researchers suggested that lower body-fat content may be related to a lesser number of tumors in mice, but the research is not complete.
"We are continuing our research to understand the mechanism of the effects observed," Conney said.
Even though the results from the mice were beneficial, the key question of this study is what human implications it carries.
No one has yet drawn a concrete statement - expressing whether exercise decreases the incidence of sun-induced skin cancer in humans. Attempts, however, have been made to translate the results of this study into clinical trials.
"There are studies suggesting that exercise decreases the risk for colon cancer and possible for other cancers, but more human studies are needed before definitive conclusions on implications for humans can be made," Conney said.
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