Exercise helps astronauts cope with side effects of spaceflight. Could it help cancer patients too?
Exercise seems to help astronauts stave off effects of space flight, and cancer patients, who go through similar physiological changes, may also benefit from physical activity, researchers say.
Astronauts go through a lot of training in preparation for spaceflights, including intensive exercise routines to stay fit and stave off the harmful effects of space travel.
Researchers writing in a commentary published Thursday in Cell say fitness programs could also have an application in cancer patients, who go through physiological changes that are similar to astronauts.
Prior to her current work in oncology, study lead author Jessica Scott of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center worked at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she studied how astronauts are affected by space flight and what could keep them healthy.
A colleague then pointed out the side effects of space flight — changes in muscle
