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A simple, home-based exercise program helps reduce the cognitive problems often called “chemo brain.” This according to new research from the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute published in the journal Cancer.

The problem is common. Brain fog symptoms affect up to 80 percent of people receiving chemotherapy and include memory lapses, trouble concentrating, and difficulty multitasking.

The researchers enrolled 86 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and reporting cognitive difficulties. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: exercise plus placebo, exercise plus low-dose ibuprofen, ibuprofen alone, or placebo alone. The exercise program, called EXCAP, combined progressive walking with light resistance exercises that patients performed at home. 

After six weeks, patients in the exercise group show significantly better attention on cognitive tests compared with those receiving placebo. Friends, family members, and coworkers also notice fewer cognitive problems among participants who exercised.

The low-dose ibuprofen produces benefits as well. Patients taking ibuprofen alone show improvements in attention compared with placebo. However, these benefits are less consistent, and researchers find that some measures of short-term verbal memory improve less among ibuprofen users.

The bottom line: the strongest overall benefits come from exercise. This finding is particularly encouraging because physical activity already provides many other health benefits for people undergoing cancer treatment and recovery.

Larger Phase III trials will be needed to confirm the results. Even now, though, the findings suggest that something as simple as regular walking and light resistance exercise may help protect brain function during chemotherapy.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#CancerResearch #ChemoBrain #CancerSurvivor #BrainHealth #ExerciseMedicine