Everyone knows that a regular exercise regime can do wonders for the state of their overall well being, but a new study has revealed that a supervised exercise program may be just the ticket for those people who perhaps least feel like beginning one – those who are undergoing chemotherapy.

For those undergoing chemotherapy to treat advanced disease it can be an exhausting business. Although the treatment is effective in many cases, and is being used more widely than ever before, it comes with unpleasant side effects – the most common being nausea, vomiting, weight loss and chronic fatigue.

It is this chronic fatigue that many patients complain about most. Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospitals set out to discover whether or not a supervised exercise program that consisted of both high and low impact cardiovascular exercise and resistance training could reduce the fatigue in a group of 269 cancer patients who were undergoing regular chemotherapy session at two different hospitals in Copenhagen.

The study group was a diverse lot. 196 of the participants were female, 73 male and ranged in age from 20 to 65. 21 different types of cancer were to be found amongst them and various stages of the diseases as well.

The exercise regime that the study participants undertook was wide ranging and not only included cardiovascular and resistance exercises but massage therapy and relaxation training as well. Each patient in the group received 9 hours of the supervised physical exercise a week for a period of six weeks, while still undergoing their regularly scheduled chemotherapy treatments.

After the allotted study time was over, researchers used established criteria to solicit the views of those who had completed the exercise regime. They found that those who had did indeed report less fatigue than patients who had simply taken their standard chemotherapy treatments without physical exercise. They also found that there was beneficial effect even for patients with the most advanced stages of cancer.

The authors admit that the exercise regime did not really improve the overall health status of the study participants in any significant way but they still feel that their results are indeed valid and their findings will be of help to the many patients who undergo chemotherapy every day. At the conclusion of their report, which was published in the British Medical Journal, the authors write that they believe there is considerable rationale for promoting multimodal exercise interventions to improve physical capacity, vitality, physical and mental well-being and relieving fatigue during chemotherapy; thereby supporting cancer patients’ daily living activities.”