(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Now, there’s more motivation to hit the gym: it’s
good for your breast health! A new study reveals girls and young women who
exercise regularly between the ages of 12 and 35 significantly reduce their risk
of breast cancer before menopause compared to those who are less active.
Researchers studied nearly 65,000 women and found those that exercised more
often had a 23 percent lower chance of breast cancer before menopause.
One-fourth of all breast cancers are diagnosed in women before menopause. The
reduced breast cancer risk was most strongly linked to physical activity between
the ages of 12 and 22.
“We don’t have a lot of prevention strategies for premenopausal breast cancer,
but our findings clearly show that physical activity during adolescence and
young adulthood can pay off in the long run by reducing a woman’s risk of early
breast cancer,” lead investigator Graham Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., the Niess-Gain
Professor and associate director of Prevention and Control at the Siteman Cancer
Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in
St. Louis, Mo., was quoted as saying. “This is just one more reason to encourage
young girls and women to exercise regularly.”
Some theorize exercise lowers the breast cancer risk by reducing exposure to
estrogens, which have been linked to the disease. Those who start menstruating
later or begin menopause early have a lower risk of breast cancer, experts say.
Young women who are physically active typically start their periods later and,
when they do, are less likely to have regular cycles.
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published online May 13,
2008
