Walk an hour a day, and you might reduce your risk of developing
breast cancer, suggests a new study from the American Cancer Society
(ACS). Engage in even more vigorous activities, and your risk might be
cut more.
This new study, out in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, is just one of many showing how great an effect our lifestyles can have on our risk for disease.
And the good news is that, while more is often better, you don’t have to exercise yourself silly for there to be a significant effect.
The research team followed over 73,000 women starting in 1992-1993, when they were 50-74 years old, monitoring their risk for developing breast cancer though 2009.
They asked the women about the kinds of activities they tended to engage in – walking, swimming, tennis, bicycling, jogging, and other aerobic activities – and how often they did these.
By the end of the study period, 4760 of the women developed breast cancer.
It turned out that women who engaged only in walking but did so for seven hours a week, had a 14% reduced risk of developing breast cancer over the years, compared to women who only got in three hours or less.
Women who engaged in seven hours or more of vigorous physical activity had an even greater reduction in breast cancer risk – up to 25% lower – compared to women who got less than seven.
The results were true even after variables like body mass index (BMI) and use of postmenopausal hormones were accounted for.
Interestingly, the average amount of time the women spent sitting was not linked to breast cancer risk, although it has been linked to other health problems, and mortality, in previous studies.
“Our results clearly support an association between physical activity and postmenopausal breast cancer, with more vigorous activity having a stronger effect,” said study author Alpa Patel in a statement.
“Our findings are particularly relevant, as people struggle with conflicting information about how much activity they need to stay healthy.
Without any other recreational physical activities, walking on average of at least one hour per day was associated with a modestly lower risk of breast cancer. More strenuous and longer activities lowered the risk even more.”
The current guidelines from the CDC recommend that most adults get in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, along with muscle-strengthening exercises.
This isn’t much, but many people don’t even get in this minimum amount – the current study found that 47% of women reported that walking was their only physical activity.
But the results of this study highlight the idea that even walking, which is a relatively painless way to exercise for most of us, does offer some very real health benefits.
“Given that more than 60 percent of women report some daily walking,” added Patel, “promoting walking as a healthy leisure-time activity could be an effective strategy for increasing physical activity among postmenopausal women.”
Though the study only followed women post-menopause, it’s very likely that the benefits of exercise extend across a lifetime, making it important for younger women, too, to view it as an important part of staying healthy in the future.
This new study, out in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, is just one of many showing how great an effect our lifestyles can have on our risk for disease.
And the good news is that, while more is often better, you don’t have to exercise yourself silly for there to be a significant effect.
The research team followed over 73,000 women starting in 1992-1993, when they were 50-74 years old, monitoring their risk for developing breast cancer though 2009.
They asked the women about the kinds of activities they tended to engage in – walking, swimming, tennis, bicycling, jogging, and other aerobic activities – and how often they did these.
By the end of the study period, 4760 of the women developed breast cancer.
It turned out that women who engaged only in walking but did so for seven hours a week, had a 14% reduced risk of developing breast cancer over the years, compared to women who only got in three hours or less.
Women who engaged in seven hours or more of vigorous physical activity had an even greater reduction in breast cancer risk – up to 25% lower – compared to women who got less than seven.
The results were true even after variables like body mass index (BMI) and use of postmenopausal hormones were accounted for.
Interestingly, the average amount of time the women spent sitting was not linked to breast cancer risk, although it has been linked to other health problems, and mortality, in previous studies.
“Our results clearly support an association between physical activity and postmenopausal breast cancer, with more vigorous activity having a stronger effect,” said study author Alpa Patel in a statement.
“Our findings are particularly relevant, as people struggle with conflicting information about how much activity they need to stay healthy.
Without any other recreational physical activities, walking on average of at least one hour per day was associated with a modestly lower risk of breast cancer. More strenuous and longer activities lowered the risk even more.”
The current guidelines from the CDC recommend that most adults get in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, along with muscle-strengthening exercises.
This isn’t much, but many people don’t even get in this minimum amount – the current study found that 47% of women reported that walking was their only physical activity.
But the results of this study highlight the idea that even walking, which is a relatively painless way to exercise for most of us, does offer some very real health benefits.
“Given that more than 60 percent of women report some daily walking,” added Patel, “promoting walking as a healthy leisure-time activity could be an effective strategy for increasing physical activity among postmenopausal women.”
Though the study only followed women post-menopause, it’s very likely that the benefits of exercise extend across a lifetime, making it important for younger women, too, to view it as an important part of staying healthy in the future.
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