Move to Beat Cancer: How One Workout May Help Suppress Breast Cancer Cells

Ever wonder if that workout does more than burn calories? It’s a question many of us ask, beyond energy burn and mood boost, can exercise actually influence cancer biology? A new paper, “A single bout of resistance or high-intensity interval training increases anti-cancer myokines and suppresses cancer cell growth in vitro in survivors of breast cancer,” published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment offers an exciting clue.

What’s This About?

At its core, this research explores whether just one session of intense exercise, either resistance training (like weights) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can change substances in the blood that might fight cancer cells. Scientists are especially interested in myokines, tiny chemical signals muscles release when you move. These myokines are thought to affect inflammation, immunity, and potentially even cancer cell behavior.

When & Who?

This was a small human study conducted between late 2023 and mid-2024 at Edith Cowan University in Australia. 32 women who had survived breast cancer were recruited. All were past the acute treatment phase (meaning surgery, chemo, or radiation was completed four months or more earlier) and were medically cleared for exercise.

Half were randomly assigned to a single bout of resistance training, and the other half did one session of HIIT, short bursts of really hard effort with recovery periods. Blood samples were taken just before exercise, immediately after, and 30 minutes later.

What Did They Find?

Big takeaway: Both types of exercise stimulated changes in the blood that could help fight cancer cells in a lab dish.

Levels of several anti-cancer myokines, such as IL-6, SPARC, and decorin, rose right after exercise in both groups. These molecules are linked to immune signaling and may help slow tumor growth.

When researchers added participants’ post-exercise blood to breast cancer cells in a petri dish, the cancer cells grew more slowly than before exercise. Again, this was seen immediately after exercise and 30 minutes later.

The effect was strongest in the HIIT group, suggesting very intense, short workouts may trigger the biggest spike in helpful myokines.

It’s important to stress they tested this in a lab (in vitro), not directly in people’s bodies. But it’s still a meaningful signal.

Why Does This Matter?

We already know that regular exercise is linked with lower risk of cancer recurrence and better survival in people who’ve had breast cancer. What has been less clear is why, what biological mechanisms might explain that? This study gives us a possible mechanism: exercise-induced myokines could help suppress cancer cell growth. 

That’s exciting because it moves beyond just telling people to “stay active.” It begins to explain how movement might influence cancer biology at a cellular level. It’s a step toward understanding the messengers (like myokines) that muscles send out when we work hard, and how they might communicate with tumor cells.

What Am I Doing About It?

When I read a study like this, I don’t see dry data, but I see real opportunity.

My whole mission at Hack My Age is about giving women the tools, language, and confidence to hack their biology in ways that matter, not just survive aging, but thrive through it.

What this research suggests, that a single workout may trigger anti-cancer signals in the blood, fits beautifully into the bigger picture I talk about with my community: aging isn’t passive, it’s interactive. Our muscles, hormones, immune system and metabolism all talk to each other and we have more influence over that conversation than we’ve been taught.

• I’m elevating studies like this on the Hack My Age podcast and blog so women understand how movement is more than aesthetic, it’s biological agency in action.
  
• I’m integrating this into how I talk about exercise strategies, especially resistance and intensity-focused workouts, as part of longevity and healthspan goals, not just weight loss or looking “fit.”
  
• I’m sharing biohacks from how to build muscle and strength into midlife, to how to manage inflammation, to how to optimize recovery, so that movement becomes something empowering, not intimidating.
  

This isn’t about scaring anyone with cancer statistics. It’s about reclaiming our physiology, one myokine, one breath, one rep at a time, and helping women feel more in control of their bodies as they age.

Practical Tips

Even while science continues to refine this work, here’s what you can do now:

Stay active, ideally in varied ways. This study looked at both resistance workouts and high-intensity intervals. Mixing strength training and conditioning in your routine can keep your muscles signaling in different ways. Start wherever you are at and slowly build up.

Aim for intensity you can sustain safely. HIIT isn’t for everyone, talk to your medical provider about what’s appropriate for your health history. As someone who went through to total hip replacements, I understand how we need to start slowly and build up over time.

Think of exercise as more than weight loss. Movement is a systemic signal, not just a calorie burner. It influences hormones, immune cells, and even molecules that might interface with cancer biology.

Consistency matters. This study looked at a single session. Real benefits accumulate over time. Make movement a regular part of your life.

Listen to this podcast. I share the ways I incorporate movement into my life and how I keep my body strong and healthy as I age.

This study is a promising piece of the puzzle showing that what we do with our bodies today can send powerful biological messages that may matter tomorrow. It reminds us that even small moments of intensity could have big implications down the line.

Reference: Bettariga, F., Taaffe, D. R., Crespo-Garcia, C., Clay, T. D., Santi, M. D., Baldelli, G., Adhikari, S., Gray, E. S., Galvão, D. A., & Newton, R. U. (2025). A single bout of resistance or high-intensity interval training increases anti-cancer myokines and suppresses cancer cell growth in vitro in survivors of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.