You Can Reduce Breast Cancer Risk…Just Exercise!
There is one thing you can do right now to reduce breast cancer risk that is easy, inexpensive, and will offer numerous health benefits across the board: exercise.
A sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for different forms of cancer, and breast cancer is no exception. Conversely, physically active people have been shown to have a reduced rate of all-cancer mortality.
Considerable research supports this concept, such as a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute , which showed that women who exercised four hours a week regularly reduced their risk of breast cancer by up to 60%. And,
All it takes is 20 minutes per day, 3 times per week to begin to decrease your risk of disease and increase your overall health and wellness. The more time you spend being physically active, the greater the health benefits.
There is an old proverb that says: “Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.”
It is my strong belief that it is virtually impossible to achieve optimal health without some type of regular exercise program.
Older women who exercise may be less likely than their inactive peers to develop breast cancer as well.
Women who biked or walked for more than an hour each day had a 19% reduction in their odds of developing breast cancer.
Existing evidence indicates that postmenopausal women who exercise 1 hour each day can significantly cut their breast cancer risk; 75% of breast cancer cases occur in postmenopausal women.
A recent review of 954 studies sponsored by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research found that exercise, healthy eating and keeping weight under control can help prevent nearly 40 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States.
The review explains that exercise, in particular, may help reduce breast cancer risk not only by strengthening the immune system but also positively affecting hormones in postmenopausal women and helping with weight loss
Being overweight puts you at an increased risk for developing breast cancer because fatty tissue produces hormones and growth factors, such as estrogen and insulin, which may promote cancer development.
Recommendations for exercise, which are echoed by the American Cancer Society, include being physically active for 30 minutes a day.
In his book The Breast Cancer Prevention Program , Samuel Epstein, M.D. explains that vigorously active women tend to have healthier diets—typically lower in beef and dairy products than their sedentary peers.
There are fewer incidents of colon, breast and other cancers in active people as compared with their more sedentary peers.
There’s no shortage of literature documenting how exercise lowers the risk of cancer, and how a history of exercise can improve your chances of recovery once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer.
One of the major ways exercise benefits the body is by reducing insulin levels. It’s quite clear that elevated insulin levels are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
The researchers found that women who started exercising before age 20 were more likely to keep exercising later in life.
But regularity mattered more than the age at which a woman started exercising.
It’s like that old Chinese proverb: “What’s the best time to plant a tree? Fifty years ago.When is the next best time? Right now”
Want to know more about how to reduce breast cancer risk? Then, post your question below.
Yours truly for great health, mind and body,
Michelle, natural health advocate
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February 02 2010 08:44 pm | Fitness