Chemo brain (brain fog), clinically known as cancer-related cognitive impairment, refers to thinking and memory problems that can occur during or after cancer treatment—especially chemotherapy. Up to 80 per cent of patients experience some degree of brain fog.
A US study published in the journal Cancer suggests that exercise and low-dose ibuprofen may help reduce chemo-related brain fog in cancer patients.
Previous studies have shown that exercise is safe and can ease cancer-related side effects, including fatigue, emotional distress, nerve pain and physical decline.
In this study, 86 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who reported cognitive problems were randomly assigned to one of four groups: exercise plus 200mg of ibuprofen twice daily, exercise with a placebo, ibuprofen only, or a placebo alone.
After six weeks, participants in the exercise group showed significantly better attention compared to those taking a placebo. The ibuprofen-only group also showed greater improvement than the placebo group.
Notably, improvements in the exercise-only and exercise-plus-ibuprofen groups were noticeable to family members and friends.
“We are encouraged by the findings of this trial that suggest possible benefits of both interventions for some cognitive domains. Clearly, we saw a more pronounced effect with exercise, which is notable considering the multiple health benefits of exercise for cancer survivors,” the lead researcher said.
