Here’s one you might not have expected: a brand new research study has discovered that playing soccer may be an excellent way to preserve bone health for anyone being treated for prostate cancer.
ADT, Prostate Cancer, and Bone Health
Androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT, is one of the more common ways to treat prostate cancer. With prostate cancer often requiring androgen hormones like testosterone to grow, reducing the body’s amount of androgen is often effective in reducing or eliminating growth, and is often combined with radiation therapy.
However, ADT does have some adverse effects, including the loss of bone and muscle mass. With therapeutic use of ADT so widespread, it was deemed important by scientists from the University Hospitals of Copenhagen in Denmark to research how to combat these bone and muscle density losses. Over the course of a five-year study, the researchers discovered help from an unlikely source: playing soccer.
May Not Just Prevent Loss but Build Additional Strength
The research study, recently published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, showed that the bone mineral density, or BMD, in the femurs of those who had played soccer regularly over the past five years had increased by 2.8 percent. Meanwhile, the control group saw a drop of femoral BMD of 2.0 percent.
Lead author of the study Dr. Jacob Uth, of Rigshospitalet in Denmark, was cautiously optimistic when presenting the results, remarking that 32 weeks of soccer training had shown increases in BMD in the past, though this new study was the first of its kind tracking 5 years’ worth of data. However, he did acknowledge the flaws in the study, especially in light of how its design showcases correlation but cannot prove causation.
Hope for the Future
This new research certainly provides hope for better overall health for prostate cancer patients that are receiving ADT as a treatment. It also helps establish how regular exercise and activity, even while undergoing treatment for prostate-related conditions, can help improve quality of life for patients.
If you have any questions regarding the best type of activities for you, contact Dr. David Samadi for more information today.
