Would working out make you more susceptible to cancer given that you undergo much more cell division to gain muscle mass?
In: 16
No, for one very simple reason. You do not actually produce more muscle cells as a result of working out.
Muscle cells are very complex and very large cells that are formed by smaller cells joining together. This only really happens during development so you don’t go producing more cells later on. Instead each of those cells grows larger and more robust.
I’ve wondered this before, too, and did a little digging in. Theoretically, the wear and tear on your body from long-distance running, let’s say, would require more cellular repair, but all of the other anti-cancer benefits of exercise seem to far outweigh any effect that has and athletes live healthier, longer lives on average than the general population.
[Here’s an article from the NZ journal Sports Medicine that I found when reading up:](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7846545/#:~:text=Overall%2C%20athletes%20live%20longer%20and,the%20’J’%20shape%20hypothesis.)
>Introduction:
>Exercise is widely accepted to improve health, reducing the risk of premature mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. However, several epidemiological studies suggest that the exercise-longevity relationship may be ‘J’ shaped; with elite athlete’s likely training above these intensity and volume thresholds. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to examine this relationship in former elite athletes.
>Results/Discussion:
>Overall, athletes live longer and have a reduced incidence of both CVD and cancer mortality compared to the general population, refuting the ‘J’ shape hypothesis. However, different health risks may be apparent according to sports classification, and between sexes, warranting further investigation.
ETA: The results are actually nuanced, and they split the different types of sports up into a few categories (like power or endurance activities), which are associated with different outcomes.
Just the opposite, exercise reduces cancer risk by enhancing immune cell’s ability to detect and eradicate cancerous cells in the body. It’s even helpful during cancer treatments to better maintain energy levels (at lower intensities) and reduces risk of cancer recurrence after treatment is complete.
Exercise reduces inflammation and inflammation causes many cancers because immune cells are producing reactive oxygen species to kill things which also damages our cells DNA too, causing cancer. The damage and inflammation from exercise is outweighed by the benefit in inflammation down regulation it provides.
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