WOMEN who work out are three times less likely to die of breast cancer,
according to a new study.
A new study by University of South Carolina researchers indicates aerobically
fit women are three times less likely to die of the disease than those who
seldom exercise.
The latest addition to the growing evidence on the benefits of aerobic exercise
is reported in the April issue of the scientific journal Medicine & Science in
Sports & Exercise.
Researchers from USC's Arnold School of Public Health studied 14,000 women who
were given preventive medical exams and treadmill tests at the Cooper Clinic in
Houston from 1970-2001. At the time of their exams, the women, ages 20 through
83, had no history of breast cancer.
Based on the treadmill tests, the women's fitness was classified as low,
moderate or high.
Researchers compared the fitness levels of the 68 women in the study group who
had died of breast cancer through 2003.
``Women in the study's lowest fitness category were nearly three times more
likely to die from breast cancer than women in the most fit group,'' said Dr.
Steve Blair, a USC researcher and a past president of the American College of
Sports Medicine.
To reach the moderate fitness category, women need to exercise about 150 minutes
per week. High fitness translates to 300 minutes per week.
``Finding a strong association between fitness, which can be improved by the
relatively inexpensive lifestyle intervention of regular physical activity, such
as walking, is exciting,'' Blair said.
Exercise should be a standard part of preventive treatment for a number of
health problems, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
The new study also backed up previous findings that exercise helps control
cholesterol levels, lowers blood pressure and lessens the likelihood for
diabetes and heart disease.
