{"id":511571,"date":"2026-06-21T20:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T20:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/511571\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T20:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T20:13:12","slug":"the-most-powerful-drug-of-all-isnt-found-in-a-pill-bottle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/511571\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Powerful Drug of All Isn\u2019t Found in a Pill Bottle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Exercise<\/a>Researchers say movement may be one of the most powerful and underused tools in medicine, with benefits ranging from improved recovery after illness to reduced risks associated with chronic diseases and cancer. Credit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n

New research highlights the far-reaching health effects of movement, showing that even modest physical activity can influence well-being and disease outcomes.<\/p>\n

Exercise is often treated as a lifestyle choice, but growing evidence suggests it may be one of the most powerful forms of medicine available.<\/p>\n

Researchers at Wits University have found that movement can help prevent disease, improve recovery, protect mental health, and even influence cancer outcomes. Their work also reveals how quickly the body responds to inactivity, with measurable changes appearing after just a single day of reduced movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman beings are hardwired for movement,\u201d says Demitri Constantinou, Professor and Specialist Sports and Exercise Physician in the Wits Department of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. \u201cWhen we stop moving, our bodies start to deteriorate \u2026 and it happens rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Constantinou\u2019s team has found that even one day without activity can cause measurable changes in the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. \u201cOn the other hand, physical activity releases signaling molecules that influence cell metabolism, regeneration, and immunity. The effects are profound, and they start with something as simple as standing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting is the new smoking<\/p>\n

\u201cAny movement is better than none, so even standing instead of sitting makes a measurable difference to your health,\u201d says Constantinou.<\/p>\n

Research in the department looked at movement across a range of adults, including blue-collar workers, office employees, students, and people recovering from illness.<\/p>\n

The findings showed that prehabilitation (preparing a patient for surgery by optimizing their physical and mental health beforehand) and exercise-based rehabilitation improved recovery, reduced complications, and raised quality of life. \u201cExercise before, during, and after illness is one of the most powerful interventions we have, and yet it is under-prescribed,\u201d says Constantinou.<\/p>\n

The opposite is also true. A sedentary lifestyle can be deadly.<\/p>\n

Standing up for movement<\/p>\n

Professor Philippe Gradidge\u2019s research is enough to make a person stand up while reading. He has spent years studying physical activity, obesity, and sedentary behavior, including the effects of standing desks.<\/p>\n

Gradidge says movement is not only about extreme sport. It is also about small movements that accumulate across a day, a week, and a lifetime. \u201cIn our studies, we have seen that small changes like walking, standing, or light stretching can meaningfully enhance both physical and mental well-being,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

His team has shown that standing desks can improve posture, ease back pain, and sharpen focus among office workers. Structured walking programs have also improved heart health and mood among South African women. \u201cMovement is medicine \u2013 and it works even in small doses,\u201d says Gradidge.<\/p>\n

He challenges common benchmarks often used by people following programs linked to medical aid behavior change schemes: \u201cYou don\u2019t need 10,000 steps to start feeling better. In fact, emerging evidence suggests that as few as 2,000 to 4,000 steps daily can help reduce depressive symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gradidge adds, \u201cIn our studies, movement has helped people manage pain, regulate stress, improve health outcomes such as elevated blood pressure, and become more aware of their physical state and movement patterns. It\u2019s not just about performance. Rather, it\u2019s about participating in environments where people can move joyfully and safely, free from barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most accessible prescription<\/p>\n

Jon Patricios, Professor of Sports Science and Exercise Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, believes that although small increases in movement matter, people should still aim to meet the World Health Organization\u2019s guideline of 300 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise because of its many well-described benefits.<\/p>\n

Patricios has done extensive work in this area, including with companies seeking to strengthen the role of exercise as medicine. In partnership with Discovery Vitality, Patricios recently served as lead author of a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that examined the effect of regular exercise on cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that as little as 60 minutes of regular weekly exercise may reduce the likelihood of cancer progression by 27% and death by 47% should encourage all doctors to use exercise as medicine,\u201d says Patricios. \u201cRegular physical activity is the most powerful and accessible prescription that we can give our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

New sports complex<\/p>\n

Wits University will launch the Wits Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex in 2026, an advanced integrated facility for training, research, and clinical practice. The Complex is expected to offer world-class research and therapeutic facilities, including an aquatics center and a residence for elite athletes. It will bring together a network of health care professionals and scientists, including researchers, biokineticists, physiotherapists, and other medical experts, under one roof, with access for students and members of the public.<\/p>\n

Dr Georgia Torres, a researcher in exercise and mental well-being who serves as the Chief Operations Officer of the Complex, says movement should be part of everyday life, including in low-resource settings where formal exercise is often difficult to access. \u201cMovement gives people agency,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Designing a society that promotes movement<\/p>\n

The challenge is to create communities that make movement easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur built environment isn\u2019t designed for active living,\u201d says Gradidge. \u201cPavements, parks, public transport \u2013 they should all invite movement, not restrict it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parkruns that are free to access, for example, can make active living easier and more convenient in a country where exercise levels are declining.<\/p>\n

Torres says the Zylstra Complex, together with Wits\u2019 commitment to the Global Alliance for the Promotion of Physical Activity, which brings together researchers, policy leaders, and communities to embed movement into daily life, reflects meaningful progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cMovement is prevention, connection, and empowerment,\u201d says Torres. \u201cIt\u2019s the simplest science of all but the hardest habit to build.\u201d<\/p>\n

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