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

FoundMyFitness

Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.

Fitness, Depression, Foundmyfitness, Timferriss, Sleep, Diet, Longevity, Ketosis, Rhondapatrick, Kevinrose, Domdagostino, Health, Sauna, Nutrition, Medicine, Fasting, Healthspan, Mattwalker, Coldexposure, Lifeextension, Health & Fitness, Exercise

4.8 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2025

⏱️ 111 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Dr. Rhonda Patrick, and today we're discussing a topic that is transforming how we think about cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship. For decades, exercise was considered an optional part of cancer care, something beneficial for general health, but not essential. That paradigm has completely shifted. The evidence is now overwhelming. Exercise is not just
0:22.1	supportive. It's a therapeutic intervention that recalibrates tumor biology. It enhances
0:27.6	treatment tolerance and it improves survival outcomes. At the forefront of this research is today's
0:33.5	guest, Dr. Carey Kernier. He is a professor and Canada research chair at the University of
0:39.5	Alberta and one of the most influential figures in exercise oncology. With over 600 peer-reviewed
0:46.7	studies, his work has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of how structured exercise,
0:52.6	whether aerobic, resistance training, or high-intensity
0:55.9	intervals, can mitigate treatment side effects, enhance immune function, and directly influence
1:02.5	cancer progression. Dr. Kernier co-authored the American Cancer Society's and the American
1:08.6	College of Sports Medicine's Physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors.
1:13.3	His work has influenced global recommendations.
1:17.2	Each year, two million people are diagnosed with cancer in the United States.
1:21.4	Yet research suggests that up to 40% of cases could be prevented through lifestyle changes.
1:28.4	Among the most powerful interventions, exercise.
1:32.3	Regular physical activity has been shown to lower the risk of at least 8 to 10 different cancer types,
1:38.3	including some of the most common and deadly forms.
1:41.5	And crucially, this protection extends even to high-risk populations.
1:46.8	Exercise can reduce cancer risk even if someone is obese, even if they have a family history,
1:52.3	and even if they've smoked. In today's conversation, Dr. Kernei breaks down the most effective
1:58.4	ways to use exercise for cancer prevention and treatment, what works, how much you need, and why it's so powerful. How much exercise it really takes to lower cancer risk. Why vigorous exercise is the most powerful for cancer prevention. How exercise lowers cancer risk even in high riskrisk individuals and the mechanisms behind this effect.
2:20.2	The best type of exercise for prevention and treatment will compare aerobic training, strength training, and high-intensity interval training to see which delivers the biggest impact for lowering risk and improving treatment outcomes.
2:32.5	How and why exercise improves cancer treatment
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D., and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.