Muscular strength and good physical fitness could almost halve the risk of cancer patients dying from their disease, according to a study that suggests tailored exercise plans may increase survival.

The likelihood of people dying from their cancer has decreased significantly in recent decades owing to greater awareness of symptoms, and better access to treatment and care.

However, despite notable advances, the side-effects of treatment, including on the heart and muscles, can affect survival.

A data analysis, involving nearly 47,000 patients with various types and stages of cancer, suggests muscular strength and good physical fitness are linked to a significantly lower risk of death from any cause in people with cancer.

The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

To inform potential options for extending survival in these patients, researchers set out to see if muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness might be associated with a lower risk of death, and whether cancer type and stage might be influential.

Researchers, led by Edith Cowan University in Australia, looked for relevant studies published in English up to August 2023, including 42 in the final pooled data analysis.

Compared with patients with poor muscle strength and low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, those at the other end of the spectrum were 31-46% less likely to die from any cause, the researchers said.

This combination of strength and fitness was associated with an 8-46% lower risk of death from any cause in patients with stage 3 or 4 cancer, and a 19-41% lower risk of death from any cause among those with lung or digestive cancers.

“Our findings highlight that muscle strength could potentially be used in clinical practice to determine mortality risk in cancer patients in advanced stages and, therefore, muscle strengthening activities could be employed to increase life expectancy,” the researchers wrote.

A second study, also published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine on Wednesday, found maintaining a slimmer waistline along with regular exercise was far more effective at cutting the risk of cancer than doing only one or the other.

The research, funded by the World Cancer Research Fund, found people needed to exercise and keep their weight down to reap the maximum benefit.

The study, of more than 315,000 people, was the first to investigate how the two actions combine to reduce cancer risk.

Dr Helen Croker, assistant director of research and policy at the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “These findings underscore the importance of a holistic lifestyle approach instead of focusing on a single factor to reduce cancer risk. Maintaining a healthy weight and, in particular, having a waist circumference within the recommended level and being physically active, along with eating a healthy diet, are all crucial steps to reduce cancer risk.”

Meanwhile, Cancer Research UK, a leading cancer charity, announced on Wednesday that it and its partners were committing £10m to create new tools using AI and analytics to improve early cancer detection and prevention.

Doctors may soon be able to predict an individual’s chances of getting cancer and offer personalised help, thanks to the five-year cancer data-driven detection programme, the charity said.

This could lead to those at higher risk being offered more frequent cancer screening, or screening at a younger age, while those at lower risk could be spared unnecessary tests.

Physical activity is not only important for fitness but also for overall health. This is confirmed by a new study, which identified PanK4 as a key regulator of energy metabolism in skeletal muscle, regulating glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation and being activated by physical exercise.

The study suggests that PanK4 could be a promising approach for treating metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Skeletal muscle accounts for 30% to 40% of body weight and is critical for maintaining healthy glucose and lipid metabolism. Impairment in the skeletal muscle’s capacity to efficiently use or store glucose can disturb overall glucose homeostasis, potentially resulting in insulin resistance—a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Nevertheless, there are only a few therapeutic options that target musculature to treat metabolic disorders.

Studies in humans and mice

Physical activity enhances glucose uptake in muscles and promotes metabolic flexibility. Therefore, it is an effective method for improving glucose metabolism, particularly in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.

These mechanisms were the focus of investigations by a broad international research team, including scientists from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), coordinated by Prof. Dr. Maximilian Kleinert, head of the Department of Molecular Physiology of Exercise and Nutrition at the DIfE.

Using modern mass spectrometric methods, the team successfully identified proteins that are phosphorylated in human and animal muscles following physical exercise. One of these proteins is pantothenate kinase 4 (PanK4).

To elucidate the role of PanK4 in regulating energy metabolism in skeletal muscle, Kleinert and his team utilized various genetic mouse models (knockout and overexpression) to conduct comprehensive physiological investigations. These studies included treadmill running experiments and glucose tolerance tests to assess metabolic function.

Furthermore, the researchers analyzed human muscle tissue samples obtained post-exercise, conducted metabolic analyses, and utilized advanced molecular biological techniques such as RNA sequencing and protein analyses.

Mice lacking PanK4 are struggling

The researchers observed that the general absence of PanK4 in mice resulted in reduced growth and decreased skeletal muscle mass, among other effects. Furthermore, animals with a muscle-specific deficiency of PanK4 exhibited an increased fat content and impaired fatty acid oxidation within the muscle tissue.

Metabolomic analyses indicated that PanK4 plays a critical role in regulating acetyl-CoA levels in skeletal muscle. The absence of PanK4 led to a significant increase in acetyl-CoA, which disrupted the regulation of fatty acid oxidation and glucose metabolism. During training studies with mice specifically lacking PanK4 in their muscles, this was manifested by reduced glucose uptake during insulin stimulation and muscle contraction.

In contrast, mice with overexpression of PanK4 showed a significant improvement in glucose uptake in the muscles and a reduction in acetyl-CoA levels, underscoring the importance of PanK4 as a regulator of glucose metabolism. These results suggest that PanK4 plays a key role in maintaining metabolic flexibility, particularly in terms of the simultaneous utilization of fatty acids and glucose as energy sources.

Novel therapeutical approaches

Identifying PanK4 as a key regulator of muscle metabolism offers a promising new avenue for therapeutic interventions. According to Kleinert, “PanK4’s significance in metabolism places it alongside established key players like mTOR, AMPK, and Akt. Targeted modulation of PanK4 could potentially improve metabolic health and support blood sugar control, making it a promising target for therapies aimed at treating metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes.”

Furthermore, the finding that PanK4 is activated by physical activity and enhances energy metabolism in muscles underscores the importance of regular exercise for overall health. Kleinert emphasizes, “Regular physical activity not only enhances fitness but also has profound effects on metabolism, which can serve as a motivating factor for adopting an active lifestyle.”

Kleinert and his team plan to conduct further investigations to understand the precise mechanisms by which the phosphorylation of PanK4 by exercise or insulin modulates its activity. Specifically, they aim to elucidate how this phosphorylation event influences the regulation of acetyl-CoA levels and metabolic flexibility in skeletal muscle. Moreover, the role of PanK4 in other tissues, including the hypothalamus, and its impact on systemic energy homeostasis will be explored in greater detail.

Provided by
Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung Potsdam-Rehbrücke

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In the video, she shared 5 arm workouts she practises at the gym to tone them. She also gave a disclaimer with her post that one cannot instantly target fat loss in a specific area. They have to be consistent to see the results. Additionally, though these exercises helped her out, none of them are going to bring changes unless you make some healthy changes to your diet.

5 workouts to tone your arms

Carla shared the video with the caption, “I lost over 40kg. Here’s my arm workout routine to help tone my arms! I do this twice a week – one day focusing on the back and biceps and the other on the chest and triceps.” She further explained that she does 3 sets of each exercise with weights that are challenging enough for her to manage 10-12 repetitions of each workout. The 5 arm workouts are:

1. Assisted pull-up: An assisted pull-up is a bodyweight exercise that helps you work your way up to performing a full, unassisted pull-up. The strength training routine targets your chest, shoulders, arms, abdominal, and back muscles.

2. Barbell bent over rows: This strength-training routine targets the back, shoulders, rhomboids, scapular stabilisers, forearms and biceps, spinal erectors and, to some degree, your hamstring and glutes.

3. Hammer Curls: A relatively simple exercise for beginners, hammer curls target your biceps and other muscles in your arms.

4. Bicep Curls: Bicep curls are done with dumbbells. They mainly target the biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis muscles.

5. Lat Pull-Down: The lat pull-down is an exercise you can do with a weight machine to work the muscles on the sides of your chest wall and upper back.

Carla begins the routine by doing warm-up exercises that include full-body stretches. The fitness influencer added that she does the same set of exercises for months until she ‘plateaus in some way’. She makes small adjustments when changing her routine.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.