Exercise Aids Cancer Recovery

A Kansas State University researcher has found that fast-walking or a light jogging on a regular basis can improve cancer treatments.

The university announced Monday that Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology Brad Behnke found a link between moderate exercise and better recoveries in cancer patients.

Behnke and his co-researchers had a $750,000 American Cancer Society grant and found that moderate exercise improves blood flow to tumors and enhances the effectiveness of radiation treatments. Existing research has found that moderate exercise can also help cancer patients counteract some negative side effects of treatment like fatigue, low blood count and muscle atrophy.

But Behnke said that too much exercise can be counter-productive.

Behnke and his fellow researchers have published their findings in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.