Short bouts of intensive exercise may help with colorectal cancer treatment

Ten minutes of intense exercise releases hundreds of molecules into the blood, some of which are linked to reducing inflammation and DNA damage repair – Image credit Cleveland Clinic

CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 3, 2026 – Short intensive periods of physical exercise can unleash several molecules in the blood linked to reducing inflammation and improving blood vessel function and metabolism, which can slow colorectal cancer growth and speed DNA damage repair, a new study shows.

The study led by Dr. Sam Orange and at Newcastle University showed that when the exercise-induced molecules were applied to bowel cancer cells in the lab, the activity of more than 1,300 genes including those involved in DNA repair, energy production and cancer cell growth was altered. The findings were published in the Dec. 12, 2025 International Journal of Cancer.

“What’s remarkable is that exercise doesn’t just benefit healthy tissues, it sends powerful signals through the bloodstream that can directly influence thousands of genes in cancer cells," Dr. Sam Orange, lead author of the study said in a press release. “In the future, these insights could lead to new therapies that imitate the beneficial effects of exercise on how cells repair damaged DNA and use fuel for energy.”

The study involved 30 volunteers male and female between ages 50 and 78 who were overweight or obese but otherwise healthy. Blood samples were taken before and after 10 minutes of intense cycling and analyzed for 249 proteins. The results showed that as many as 13 proteins including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and a gene called PNKP increased after the exercise. IL-6 and PNKP play key roles in repairing DNA in damaged cells.

In addition, genes linked to rapid cell growth associated with cancer were switched off, which could reduce the aggressiveness of cancer cells.

In the future, the researchers plan to test whether multiple exercise sessions produce lasting changes and investigate how the effects of exercise might augment or increase effectiveness of standard cancer treatments.

Source: Newcastle University press release and Dec. 12, 2025 International Journal of Cancer