Exercise is one of the most important things that both humans and dogs can do to maintain and optimize their health. Dogs were born to move, as is apparent by their immense, uncontained energy that begins to show just a few months after birth. They derive incredible joy from running and playing. Beyond just having fun, this movement produces numerous biological effects that benefit the dog, with positive side effects for the humans involved. As researchers from Colorado State University noted, “Regular physical activity promotes health and can prevent and treat diseases among both humans and dogs.”
1. Boosting Mood
Anyone who has completed a session of exercise knows that you feel great afterwards. This is because exercise can increase neurotransmitters in the brain associated with a feeling of wellbeing. Endorphins and dopamine have been classically implicated in the “runner’s high”, but what most people do not know is that endocannabinoids are also involved. Endocannabinoids are essentially the body’s homemade versions of THC, the primary compound in FECO!
A 2022 study by Brazilian researchers described how endocannabinoids increase after exercise, which subsequently activate a protein in the brain that stimulates growth of new brain cells, improves cognition, and causes antidepressant-effects. It is pretty cool to see how exercise not only makes you and your dog feel good, but actually works at the cellular level to positively change the brain.
2. Increases Cardiovascular Health
It is no surprise that exercise has been consistently linked to improve cardiovascular health. Animal models show that physical activity prevents the build-up of plaque in arteries and increases compounds that dilate blood vessels. The expansion of vessels allows the increased delivery of nutrients to tissues. When fighting cancer, you want as many nutrients as possible getting to healthy cells and as many anticancer substances as possible (like FECO) getting to cancerous tissue. Exercise is truly one of the best ways to achieve this.
3. Reduced Inflammation
Inflammation contributes to the development of many chronic diseases, including cancer. A 2021 study in the Journal of Animal Science tracked dogs with osteoarthritis using a physical activity monitor, and which showed a correlation between activity levels and lower amounts of an inflammatory marker in the blood.
4. Lower Pain and Better Movement
The study on activity and inflammation above also suggested that overall pain intensity and severity decreased with more movement. This observation was backed up by an earlier study from 2013, where dogs with hip dysplasia showed improvements in the ability to walk as they exercised more. Since the inability to walk is substantially driven by pain, exercise must have been reducing pain in addition to improving joint function to some extent. In humans, a meta-analysis of over a dozen studies found that pain sensitivity is reduced through exercise, and it is very likely these results would translate to dogs as well.
5. Direct Anticancer Effects
Although the research is preliminary, it is possible that exercise may provide some direct anticancer benefits. A study with mice from researchers with Duke University Medical Center found that aerobic exercise could “normalize” the tissue microenvironment surrounding breast tumors, an effect which may both inhibit cancer metastasis and improve efficacy of chemotherapy or radiation.
A systematic review showed that in 7 of 8 rodent studies, exercise significantly enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy. In humans as well, early evidence showed exercise may also make chemotherapy work better.
Summary
The research is clear – exercise produces a wealth of health benefits and should be engaged in if possible. Just walking your dog twice a day for 30 minutes and playing with them between walking sessions may be enough to get these benefits, but if they are willing to be even more active, that’s great!