In addition to improving heart health and facilitating weight loss, a new study has added to a body of evidence suggesting that exercise may also help women stave off breast cancer.
Published in the journal Cancer, the latest research looked at about 1,500 women with breast cancer and another 1,500 who were cancer-free. The researchers found that, compared to those who did not exercise, women who engaged in 10 to 19 hours of physical activity per week were 30 percent less likely to have breast cancer. And although 10 to 19 hours of weekly physical activity may sound like an unrealistic standard, the researchers in fact included household and occupational activities in their tally, in addition to actual workout sessions.
While the greatest risk reduction (33 percent) was seen among women who exercised during their reproductive years, even women who began exercising after menopause experienced a 30 percent decline in their risk of breast cancer.
Led by researchers from the University of North Carolina s Gillings School of Global Public Health, the study included a survey of women between the ages of 20 and 98 and took into account other breast cancer risk factors, including smoking, prior use of oral contraceptives, number of pregnancies, and family history of the disease.
As lead author Christine Friedenreich points out, the results demonstrate the benefits of exercise at any age. And indeed, the current study adds to a significant body of literature suggesting a link between physical activity of various intensities and a lowered risk of breast cancer. In another recent review article by Friedenreich, she and her colleagues concluded that the strongest associations were found for recreational and household activities and for activity that was of at least moderate intensity and sustained over a lifetime.
This study adds to the large body of evidence supporting the importance of physical activity for all sorts of health-related parameters, notes ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava. From reducing the risk of diabetes to improving cardiac health and now, decreasing the risk of breast cancer physical activity is one factor that people can control themselves in order to reduce their risk of disease.