A new report from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)
and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) states that vigorous exercise
has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in both pre- and
post-menopausal women.
The
results from this comprehensive research — which was comprised of 119
studies, including data on 12 million women and 260,000 cases of breast
cancer — also found “strong evidence” that moderate exercise decreases
the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer (the most common type of
breast cancer).
According to their findings:
- Pre-menopausal women who were the most physically active had a 17 percent lower risk
- Post-menopausal women had a 10 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who were the least active
- Women who were moderately active (i.e. walking and gardening) were linked to a 13 percent lower risk when comparing the most active versus the least active women
This
scientific study also notes connections between diet and breast cancer
risk. The study authors discovered “strong evidence” that drinking the
equivalent of a small glass of wine or beer a day (about 10 grams
alcohol content) increases pre-menopausal breast cancer risk by 5
percent and post-menopausal breast cancer risk by 9 percent.
And
while there is only limited evidence, consuming dairy products, foods
high in calcium, and foods containing carotenoids may have the ability
to lower risk of some breast cancers. Also, nonstarchy vegetables may
lower risk for estrogen-receptor (ER) negative breast cancers (a less
common type of tumor, but more challenging to treat).
“Most
of the findings were not totally surprising because they basically
affirmed the findings from an earlier report, but the vigorous exercise
was new and it was a bit of a surprise,” Alice Bender, Head
of Nutrition Programs at AICR, tells Yahoo Beauty. “It was also
exciting because we don’t have a lot of positive ways for pre-menopausal
women to lower their risk of breast cancer.”
She
explains that exercising can shed excess body fat, which has been known
to play a role in promoting cancer. “Physical activity does strengthen
the immune system, so that may put our body in a better place to help
stop some of the cancer growth and cancer cells from proliferating,”
adds Bender.
However,
researchers cannot identify the reason behind supersweaty workouts
being linked with lower risk of breast cancer. “They looked at the women
who were most active compared to the women who did the least amount of
vigorous exercise, and all that shows us is that there is an effect,”
continues Bender. “We don’t know exactly why, we don’t exactly how much
is needed to get that [benefit]. The idea is that just trying to pump it
up a little bit can be helpful.”
And
the type of workout is irrelevant. “It’s not that you have to go out
and run sprints — what you want to do is work hard enough so your
breathing harder and your heart is beating fast,” states Bender.
She
also points out that people are at different fitness levels “so
‘moderate’ for one person is ‘vigorous’ for someone else.” A good guide:
“If you can carry on a conversation during the exercise, well, that’s
probably moderate.”
Overall, Bender considers the findings from this report to be empowering.
“We
know there are no guarantees when it comes to cancer of any kind — we
know that many people can be taking care of themselves and cancer can
still happen — but we have specific steps women can take to reduce their
risk of breast cancer,” she concludes. “Being active, limiting alcohol,
and doing what you can do to [maintain] a healthy weight throughout
life — these are the most important steps women can take, which are
going to help women be healthier overall.”
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