Exercise and Breast Cancer

by Maia Appleby

We all know that breast cancer is highly hereditary and that other risk factors include taking hormone replacement therapy, drinking alcohol and undergoing radiation or frequent x-ray therapy, but did you know that exercise can protect against breast cancer?

Recent research, cited in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicates that leaner women have a lower occurrence of breast cancer than their heavier counterparts, especially if they exercise four or more hours per week. Even women who don't exercise regularly, but hold jobs that require a great deal of activity, have a lower occurrence than women who sit at desks most of the day.

Why is this? Some studies have concluded that taking in calories without burning them off can actually promote breast cancer. It's the old domino effect. Sedentary women have more triglycerides in their systems than active women, causing an increased exposure to estrogen, which is a breast cancer risk factor. Keeping an optimal energy balance by exercising and eating sensibly is a great preventive measure women can take to lower their risks.

Of course, many active, lean women endure this disease due to circumstances beyond their control. About 180,000 new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year.

Age does play a role. The older a woman is, the greater her risk. When a woman hits age 60, her chance of getting breast cancer is 1 out of 24. Click here to calculate your risk of getting breast cancer.

Although mortality rates are going down and medical progress is being made, the disease still lurks. Since being a woman is the number one risk factor of breast cancer, all women should educate themselves on it.