Exercise Cuts Breast Cancer Risk
According to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting in Seattle, exercising for over an hour a week may help cut a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer for women over 30.
Lisa Sprod of University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and colleagues asked 4296 women in the study to recall their physical activity levels during four key stages of life. Those stages were 10 to 15 years old, 15 to 30 years old, 30 to 50 years old, and 50 year old and older.
The researchers found that the odds of developing breast cancer did not change in relation to exercise levels between ages 10 and 30, but the women above 30 significantly cut their chances of developing breast cancer if they were more active.
"An average amount of exercise was defined as 60 minutes per week," Sprod told Reuters Health, "so anyone exercising less than 60 minutes was below average, above 60 minutes was above average, and anyone that considered themselves ‘highly competitive’ chose that category."
Fewer women that classified themselves as "highly competitive" between ages 30 and 50 developed breast cancer, compared to women that are less physically active.
Also, fewer women who classified themselves as competitive at age 50 or older developed breast cancer when compared to women that exercised less than an hour a week.
"Preliminarily," Sprod said, "the take home message is that accumulating greater physical activity after the age of 30 may play a role in reducing the risk of developing breast cancer."
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