#099 The Science of Exercise for Cancer | Kerry Courneya, PhD

FoundMyFitness

Content provided by Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. and Rhonda Patrick. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. and Rhonda Patrick or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

3M ago 1:51:09

MP3•Episode home

Download my “How to Train According to the Experts” guide

Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot

For decades, exercise was considered an optional part of cancer care—something beneficial for general health but not essential. The evidence is now overwhelming: exercise is not just supportive—it’s a therapeutic intervention that recalibrates tumor biology, enhances treatment tolerance, and improves survival outcomes. With over 600 peer-reviewed studies, Dr. Kerry Courneya's work has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of how structured exercise—whether aerobic, resistance training, or high-intensity intervals—can mitigate treatment side effects, enhance immune function, and directly influence cancer progression.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction
(04:31) Why exercise should be effortful
(05:17) How to meaningfully reduce risk of cancer
(09:06) What type of exercise is best?
(10:43) How exercise reduces risk—even for smokers and the obese
(13:32) Weekend-only exercise
(16:33) 150 vs. 300 minutes per week (more is better—up to a point)
(18:47) Why pre-diagnosis exercise matters
(21:53) Why resilience to cancer treatment starts with exercise
(23:45) Why low muscle mass drives cancer death
(26:42) Why BMI fails to measure true obesity
(30:35) Why daily activity isn't enough (structured exercise matters)
(32:18) Breaking up sedentary time—do 'exercise snacks' help?
(34:34) Supplements vs. exercise
(35:16) Where exercise fits with chemo and immunotherapy
(38:14) Why rest is not the best medicine
(44:04) Aerobic vs. resistance
(44:57) How weight training improves 'chemo completion'
(47:25) Why exercise creates vulnerability in cancer cells (limitations do apply)
(49:53) Why exercise might be crucial for tumor elimination
(55:47) Why cardio may be better at clearing tumor cells
(59:02) When cancer spreads quickly—and when it doesn't
(1:00:27) Why liquid biopsies may prevent over-treatment
(1:05:40) Exercise-sensitive vs. exercise-resistant cancers
(1:08:50) Prostate cancer therapy—why strength training matters
(1:10:54) When exercise is the only therapy—does it work?
(1:12:10) Why HIIT reduces PSA in prostate cancer
(1:14:24) Avoiding overtreatment—can exercise buy you time?
(1:14:44) Why high-intensity exercise boosts anti-cancer biology
(1:15:55) Turning a diagnosis into a wake-up call
(1:18:55) Why oncologists are rethinking exercise
(1:21:34) Why exercise eases anxiety about cancer—proven psychological benefits
(1:27:44) Before, during, and after treatment
(1:29:46) Why exercise is unique among cancer therapies
(1:31:00) Why cancer patients stop exercising—the risky mistake almost everyone makes
(1:33:25) How to get sedentary cancer patients exercising (realistically)
(1:35:59) The $1 million per patient case for including exercise
(1:37:40) Why recurrence trials haven't convinced doctors—yet
(1:40:20) The bottom-line message
(1:40:39) The myth of a cancer panacea (exercise included)
(1:46:51) What's the best $50 investment for staying active?
(1:47:24) Only 15 minutes per day—what's the best anti-cancer exercise?

Show notes are available by clicking here

Watch this episode on YouTube

177 episodes