Cancer patients can benefit from EMS training
Regular physical activity can protect against cancer, support healing, and prevent relapses. This is well known.
A research group from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (fau.de) has found in a study that whole-body EMS training can help cancer patients fight tumors. The scientists showed that EMS training releases so-called myokines, which can be effective against tumors even in severely ill cancer patients.
What are myokines?
Myokines (derived from "Mys" for muscle and "kinos" for movement) are important messenger substances produced and released by muscle cells during active muscle use. These myokines:
- stop inflammation
- regulate the immune response
- inhibit the growth of pathological cells and
- can even destroy them.
Previous studies mainly examined patients in the early stages of tumor disease, as it was assumed that patients in advanced stages could not train intensively enough to stimulate myokine production. However, EMS training offers a way to activate these important messenger substances even with low physical exertion.
Study by Friedrich-Alexander University
The study examined 30 subjects, of whom 12 had colon cancer and 18 had prostate cancer. All participants received the same guidelines for a healthy, protein-rich diet. These research results were published in the journal "The Journal of Physiology".
14 subjects (6 with colon cancer and 8 with prostate cancer) performed EMS training twice a week for 12 weeks. The remaining 16 patients formed the control group. EMS training was conducted with the following parameters:
- Frequency: 85 Hertz
- Pulse depth: 350 microseconds
- Pause time: 4 seconds
- Pulse duration: 6 seconds
Blood samples from all patients were analyzed before and after the training phase to evaluate the effect of EMS training.
Study results
The results showed impressive effects of EMS training:
- The blood serum of EMS-trained prostate cancer patients inhibited the growth of cancer cells by 7 to 11.6%.
- In colon cancer patients, inhibition ranged from 9.1 to 13.2%.
- 28.1% of a prostate and 14.4% of a colon cancer cell line were destroyed by the "myokine-loaded" blood serum.
- Healthy cells, on the other hand, remained unharmed.
These results show that EMS training can be an effective complement to cancer treatment, especially for patients who are unable to perform intensive physical activities.
Conclusion
To increase the proportion of tumor-fighting myokines in the blood serum, the study recommends stimulating the large skeletal muscle groups twice a week with EMS training. Especially for cancer patients who find physical activities difficult, EMS training offers an effective and gentle way to support healing.
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The results of this study were published in the journal "The Journal of Physiology." You can find more information here: "The Journal of Physiology".
This post is for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a doctor. In case of doubt, always consult your doctor before making decisions or taking action.
