Exercise, Telomeres, and Cancer: "The Exercise-Telomere Hypothesis".


Author: Nomikos NN1, Nikolaidis PT2, Sousa CV3, Papalois AE4, Rosemann T5, Knechtle B5,6

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

<sup>2</sup>Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Nikaia, Greece.

<sup>3</sup>Graduate Program in Physical Education, Catholic University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.

<sup>4</sup>Experimental Research Center, ELPEN Pharmaceuticals, Attica, Greece.

<sup>5</sup>Institute of Primary Care, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.

<sup>6</sup>Mebase St. Gallen Am Vadianplatz St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Conference/Journal: Front Physiol.
Date published: 2018 Dec 18
Other:
 Volume ID: 9   ,  Pages: 1798   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01798. eCollection  2018.   ,  Word Count: 210  
    Telomeres are genomic complex at the end of chromosomes that protects the DNA and telomere length (TL) is related to several age-related diseases, lifespan, and cancer. On the other hand, cancer is a multifactorial disease that is responsible for reduce the quality of life and kills millions of people every year. Both, shorter TL and cancer are related and could be treated or prevented depending of the lifestyle. In this review we discuss the possible role of exercise in the relationship between shorter telomeres, telomerase activity, and cancer. In summary, there is evidence that exercise leads to less telomere attrition and exercise also may diminish the risk of cancer, these two outcomes are possible intermediated by a reduction in oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. Although, there is evidence that shorter TL are associated with cancer, the possible mechanisms that one may lead to the other remains to be clarified. We assume that humans under cancer treatment may suffer a great decrease in quality of life, which may increase sedentary behavior and lead to increased telomere attrition. And those humans with already shorter TL likely lived under a poor lifestyle and might have an increased risk to have cancer.



KEYWORDS: aging; cancer; exercise; medicine; telomere; well-being



PMID: 30618810 PMCID: PMC6305363 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01798