Walking on the beach
Taking brisk walks regularly reduces your risk of developing breast cancer. This is the finding suggested in a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The good news for those of us who haven’t taken regular exercise in the past is that it’s not too late to start.
The study, carried out by Dr A. Heather Eliassen and her team at Harvard, reviewed data from over 95,000 women in the prospective Nurses' Health Study, who were followed for 20 years. The women reported on how active they were, and what exercise they took, at regular points throughout that time.
The study found that women who did at least an hour of brisk walking a day were 15% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who walked less than one hour per week. The research also suggests that recent physical activity gave the women some protection from breast cancer even if they hadn’t done much exercise before their menopause. So it would seem that it’s not too late, even once the menopause is behind you, to reduce your risk of breast cancer with exercise. And it seems it doesn’t have to be intensive exercise when walking just fast enough to make chatting tricky can make a difference.
The researchers looked at other factors that might influence your risk of breast cancer. It seems that it doesn’t matter whether you’re slim or overweight, taking hormone therapy or not, regular, moderate exercise can still reduce your breast cancer risk.
Why does exercise make a difference? Studies among women past the menopause have consistently shown that higher circulating oestrogen and androgen levels are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Physical activity has been shown in the past to reduce levels of these hormones in women who are past their menopause. This large study adds weight to previous research and also shows that exercise makes a difference even if you’re a late starter.
Dr Laura Bell, Cancer Research UK’s science information officer, said "We know that being physically active can help to cut the risk of breast cancer, as well as bowel and womb cancers. Active people have lower levels of hormones such as oestrogen and insulin. These hormones affect how cells behave and increase the risk of cancer at high levels. Keeping active can also give the immune system a boost."
"Try to aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, five days a week. Moderate activity is anything that makes you feel warm or slightly out of breath, including brisk walking, gardening, housework or DIY. These simple things can make a big difference to your health, and the more active you are, the more you can reduce your cancer risk."
First published October 29, 2010
Useful websites
Cancer Research UK - www.cancerresearchuk.org
NHS Choices - www.nhs.uk