One study note that people who exercise early in the morning may be less likely to develop cancer than those who exercise later. The beneficial effect may be based on the regulation of estrogen and melatonin.
If you have a choice, do your workout in the morning. Research published in the International Journal of Cancer has suggested that people who exercise during the early hours of the day, immediately after waking up, have a lower risk of developing cancer compared to those who exercise in the afternoon or evening.
Scientists at ISGlobal Barcelona, led by Dr. Manolis Kogevinas, have shown that the effects of exercise depend on the time of day it is performed, that is, they are related to the circadian biological rhythms that govern many physiological processes in the body.
Before this research it was already known that daytime physical exercise serves to regulate the main circadian rhythm of wakefulness and sleep. That is why it prevents or helps to resolve disturbed sleep patterns. As detoxification and regeneration processes take place at night, exercise generally reduces the risk of cancer.
BEST TIME TO EXERCISE: 8 A.M. TO 10 A.M.
The researchers went a step further and wondered whether the hours we exercise may also have an influence on cancer risk. To prove it, they analyzed data from 2,795 participants, a subset of the MCC-MultiCaso Control Spain study, which aims to understand the factors that cause common cancers in Spain and how to prevent them.
From 2008 to 2013, researchers interviewed participants to learn about their physical activity throughout their lives. The study authors looked in particular at the 781 women with breast cancer and 504 men with prostate cancer.
Researchers found that the best time to exercise is 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. This schedule has the greatest potential to reduce the risk of developing breast and prostate cancers. The risk reduction reaches 25-27% compared to people who do not exercise.
THE ROLES OF ESTROGEN AND MELATONIN
Researchers suggest that the beneficial effects of morning exercise, in the case of breast cancer, may be related to estrogen (female hormones). High estrogen levels are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and exercise can reduce them, considering that estrogen production is activated around 7 am in the morning.
Melatonin may also be a factor. Researchers have shown that the hormone of darkness and sleep can protect against the risk of cancer and that if we exercise in the afternoon or evening, we could delay its production.
The coordinator of the study, Manolis Kogevinas, said that, if confirmed, “the results may improve current recommendations of physical activity for cancer prevention.”
Kogevinas added that regardless of the hour, everyone can reduce their risk of cancer with moderate physical activity of at least 150 minutes a week.
Previous research has shown that exercising can reduce a person’s risk of developing many different types of cancer, not just prostate or breast cancer. This information is important because of the large number of people who develop cancer and the large number of people who die from this disease.
IN ADDITION, DINNER BEFORE 21 PM
The scientific work being carried out at ISGlobal is shedding much light on the relationship between our habits, biological clocks and cancer. An earlier study, also led by Manolis Kogevinas, had determined that eating dinner early, before 21 p.m., also reduced the risk of cancer, and also did so by around 20%.
Thus, if you add the effect of having an early dinner and exercising with the first light of day, we will be considerably reducing the risk of developing the disease.