Dosage of Exercise for Men on Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) – AUA
High impact exercise is most important for men on Androgen Deprivation Therapy (Hormone Therapy) for prostate cancer
Men with prostate cancer (CaP) undergoing androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) are recognized to gain fat mass, lose muscle, and be subject to a series of adverse effects from the therapy.
Dr. Robert Newton, an exercise scientist from Australia gave a brilliant presentation at the AUA conference on the benefits of properly done exercise in reducing side effects from ADT (hormone treatment) for prostate cancer.
In the research Dr. Newton and his team, two important findings were observed:
1. Six month of supervised exercise resulted in improved cardio vascular and repiratory fitness, lower-body physical function, self-reported physical functioning and mental health, and muscle strength compared with standard public health recommendations on physical activity
2. These benefits were largely sustained in the following 6 mo with a home-based maintenance program.
The exercise routine included the following:
Approximately 60 minutes in duration, involving moderate to high intensity aerobic and resistance exercises as well as standard warm-up and 8 cool-down periods.
The aerobic exercise component included 20– 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise using a variety of modes such as walking or jogging on a treadmill, cycling or rowing on a stationary ergometer or exercising on a cross trainer machine.
Target intensity was set at approximately 70-85% of estimated maximum heart rate. The resistance exercise component involved 8 exercises that targeted the major upper and lower body muscle groups (leg press, leg extension, leg curl, calf raise, chest press, lat pulldown, biceps curl and triceps extension). Cormie et al. 2014
Dr. Newton made an important point that stuck in my head. He said, “Exercise is not a single medicine and how it’s prescribed make all the difference.”
My Take On This
Wow! You can imagine how excited I was listening to Dr. Newton’s presentation. I have clinically found that men on ADT for prostate cancer still experience suboptimal quality of life when only doing aerobic exercises and no weight resistance.
And not only is weight resistance important, the proper amount is also critical. The prostate cancer book I am currently writing , the CaPLESS Wellness Method, emphasies the dosage on everything from broccoli consumption to exercise to supplements.
Another words, it’d be useful to know what is the minimal effective dose of every aspect of a targeted lifestyle program to get maximal results.
Doggy Bag Message
Well, now we know that men on ADT (hormone therapy) for prostate cancer should practice weight resistance, 3 to 4 times a week, 30 minutes at a time, while including aerobic exercises the rest of the time. The amount of total time of exercise per week should be 3 to 4 hours. Nothing less.
Reference:
AUA 2014, Orlando, Florida
Cormie P1, Galvão DA, Spry N, Joseph D, Chee R, Taaffe DR, Chambers SK, Newton RU.Can Supervised Exercise Prevent Treatment Toxicity in Prostate Cancer Patients Initiating Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A Randomised Controlled Trial. BJU Int. 2014 Jan 27.