Physical Activity Can Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

A study had shown that a lifetime of exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta (Canada), the study was published in the September 2001 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

The research team compared more than 1,200 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer to the same number of women who were cancer-free. They explored the difference between the lifestyles of the two groups through interviews that sought information on physical activities throughout the subjects' lives. The team found that the greatest reductions in breast cancer risk were associated with moderate-intensity occupational activity, with some risk decreases also attributable to moderate-intensity household activity.

"Intensity of the activity was not a major contributor to the breast cancer risk reduction observed in this population, while the frequency and duration of total activity were important determinants for the risk decrease,” said Dr. Kerry Courneya, professor from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and the co-author of the paper. "We're starting to accumulate a lot of studies—and ours confirms it—that there is a risk reduction of breast cancer for women who exercise.”




Related Links:
Univ. of Alberta