A new research has suggested that living in an environment rich with physical, mental and social motivation might by itself control growth of cancer.

The animal research, led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, also showed that how this effect occurs and that it might have curative use.

The researchers discovered that an enriched environment activates a nervous-system pathway through which the brain talks to fat tissue.

That pathway, called the hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte (HSA) axis says that fat cells to discontinue releasing a hormone named leptin into the bloodstream.

Leptin normally helps restrain appetite, but this research found that it also speeds up growth of cancer.

The enriched environment had the same cancer-controlling influence in models of melanoma and colon cancer.

Lead researcher Dr. Matthew J. During, professor of neuroscience, of neurological surgery and of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, said, "People tend to think that cancer survivors should avoid stress, but our data suggests that this is not completely true."

"The anti-cancer effect we observed in this study was not due simply to increased activity by the animals, but rather it was induced by social and physical challenges that are associated with the release of stress hormones from the adrenal gland."

The research has been released in the July 9 issue of the journal Cell. (With Inputs from Agencies)