Stretching is good as we get older, indeed quite vital. It’s no secret we tend to stiffen as we age. Mild stretching is a natural antidote to that, helping us to stay supple longer. There are many scientifically-studied physiological benefits too.
The one place we especially do not want to stiffen up in is our arteries, specifically the lining membrane inside our blood vessels called the endothelium.
Exercise training, even initiated in late life, enhances endothelium?dependent dilatation, increases capillary flow and improves blood flow distribution and capacity in the aged lower limb.1
Unfortunately, excercize—the main thing that will help us as we age—can easily become too demanding for older people. But fortunately, the intensity of muscle stretching is relatively light compared to aerobic exercise, such that even quite elderly individuals can perform muscle stretching with minimal risk of injury.
Fights Cancer, Too
Recent decades have seen a shift in approach to cancer biology and treatment. While cancer research originally focused on the cancerous process in the cells themselves, there is a growing interest in factors within the host that may influence cancer growth, such as angiogenesis (development of new blood vessels, which aid the cancer), fibrosis, inflammation and immune dysregulation.
Parallel with this new interest in a more holistic overall view is the emergence of non-pharmacological treatments that could boost natural defenses against cancer and contribute to primary and secondary cancer prevention.
Among these, exercise has received a significant amount of attention due to the well-documented positive association between physical activity and survival in many cancer types. Now, intriguing research at Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital shows that even just simple stretching may help the body’s immune system fight cancer.
This investigation – which was actually conducted on animals – indicated that stretching may reduce the size of tumors by an average of 52 percent compared to cancer in animals that don’t have their limbs stretched.
Researchers used a well-established protocol for stretching in mice in which the animals are held by the tail and gently lifted, allowing their front paws to grasp a bar. With minimal training, mice can hold this position without struggling for 10 minutes.2
The researchers believe that stretching spurs the body’s T-cells to fight more aggressively against cancer cells. They also discovered that stretching reduced levels of PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1), an immune factor that indicates that T-cells are becoming effete and unable to fight the cancer (T-cell exhaustion, as it’s known). Put the other way round, mild stretching rejuvenated T-cells and brought them back into action.
On top of those findings, the investigation showed that stretching affected how the body controls inflammation (this makes sense since inflammation is an immune system function). Specifically, even though individual group differences were not significant, overall levels of inflammatory mediators, including IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, were improved in the stretch group.
The Harvard researchers are not yet sure precisely what these discoveries signify, but they say it sheds light on the fact that stretching exerts essential influences on immune cells in ways that seem to help them respond to tumors.
“There is still so much we don’t understand in terms of how stretching reduces tumor growth,” says researcher Jean J. Zhao, PhD, who teaches biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard. “Understanding these mechanisms could help us develop more effective therapies against breast cancer and potentially other cancer types.”
Lead author researcher Jean J. Zhao, PhD, had this to say in conclusion, “Our results demonstrate a 52% reduction of mammary tumor growth over one month in mice undergoing stretching for 10?minutes once a day without any other form of therapy. The potential clinical significance of our results lies in the possibility of developing a method of gentle stretching that could be well tolerated and testable in humans for primary or secondary cancer prevention, or in conjunction with cancer treatment. Although the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of stretching in our mouse breast cancer model remain to be elucidated, our results point to a possible link between inflammation resolution and immune exhaustion mechanisms that could be important in basic cancer biology.”3
That this 50% improvement happened without any other form of therapy is a 8.5 on my Wow-Factor scale!
Getting Started
Here are some of the BIG benefits of stretching:
• Improves flexibility and circulation
• Increases blood flow and energy levels
• Helps maintain balance
• Reduces back pain
• Strengthens muscles
• Can reduce joint pain
• Improves posture
• Enhances mobility
• Reduces risk of injury and falling
• Relaxation
If you start a stretching program, experts recommend doing some light physical activity for five to ten minutes at each session before stretching. This is not quantitative activity, just loosening movement, which is especially helpful if you lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Then, each stretch is usually held for 30 seconds to a minute. And you should repeat each stretch on both sides of your body.
Don’t be overly aggressive, pushing or jerking yourself into a stretch; keep your movements slow and gradual. Don’t do a stretch if it causes pain. And remember to breathe fully while you stretch.
If you need help getting started, here’s a beginner’s guide to basic stretches from the Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20546848?s=1
Video
Alternatively, you can get instructions on YouTube. Here’s a suggestion. I have no connection whatever with SilverSneakers and make no commissions. It’s just to save you a little time! Send me some feedback if you tried it. But looks useful to me.
Watch the video at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=3dkKquMiQIk&t=768s
Of course if you are still playing tennis, cycling or doing martial arts, you probably won’t want anything this trivial. Just keep going!
Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby
The Official Alternative Doctor
References:
- J Physiol. 2018 Apr 5;596(10):1903–1917. doi: 10.1113/JP275459
- Stretching Reduces Tumor Growth in a Mouse Breast Cancer Model. Sci Rep. 2018 May 18;8(1):7864. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26198-7. Erratum in: Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 16;8(1):17226. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35364-w.
- Scientific Reports volume 8, Article number: 7864 (2018)
