If there weren’t enough reasons to exercise, listen up: It could now reduce your risk of breast cancer.
According to findings published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, women who did just 30 minutes of “gentle exercise” everyday were 10 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.
However, those who stopped exercising increased their risk of the disease quickly, suggesting exercise may have an active role in the prevention of breast cancer.
Now lead author Dr. Agnes Fournier says that exercise should be an important part of any postmenopausal woman’s regimen.
“We found that recreational physical activity, even of modest intensity, seemed to have a rapid impact on breast cancer risk,” says Fournier, a researcher from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Heath at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France. “However, the decreased breast cancer risk we found associated with physical activity was attenuated when activity stopped. As a result, postmenopausal women who exercise should be encouraged to continue and those who do not exercise should consider starting because their risk of breast cancer may decrease rapidly.”
In the study, Fournier analyzed data collected from questionnaires answered by women who were postmenopausal, a period in a woman’s life when her breast cancer risk increases. Questions primarily focused on their exercise habits–namely, if they did any exercise at all, and if they did, how frequently they did it.
After the evaluation, she found her answer: Exercise was positively correlated with a 10 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, but only if they exercised on a consistent basis. Those who exercised infrequently, on the other hand, rapidly increased their risk of breast cancer–by up to 16 percent.
On the upside, exercising vigorously was not a requirement. For instance, some of the women simply walked for 30 minutes a day–yet their risk continued to decrease.
“Physical activity is thought to decrease a woman’s risk for breast cancer after menopause,” says Fournier. “So, our study shows that it is not necessary to engage in vigorous or very frequent activities; even walking 30 minutes per day is beneficial.”
What You Should Do
So the evidence is clear: Exercise regularly and you’ll reduce your breast cancer risk, regardless of its intensity. But quitting exercise after years of working out could have terrible consequences, emphasizing the importance of making it a daily habit.
Sally Greenbrook, Senior Policy Officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, also agrees.
“Being physically activity doesn’t need to be running or going to the gym–it can be anything from playing actively with your children, walking or gardening–anything that raises your pulse reduces your risk,” says Greenbrook. “Breakthrough Breast Cancer advises that 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day (or 3.5 hours a week) can reduce breast cancer risk by at least 20 per cent.”
Bottom line? It doesn’t matter how you exercise–it just matters that you’re doing it.
Readers: How often do you exercise?
Sources:
Breast Cancer Risk Lower in Women Who Walk 30 Minutes a Day For Years – Telegraph.co.uk
Exercise Cuts Breast Cancer Risk in Older Women, Study Finds – WebMD.com
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