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Prevention of Breast Cancer in Women Aided by Vigorous Activity

Jun 14, 2009 by TacticularCancer.com

Cancer rates have soared in the developed world, and breast cancer is shockingly common among women today. And, they are getting it at a younger age, too. The medical establishment has nothing much to offer other than their usual harsh protocols like mammograms, surgeries and chemotherapy.

Yet, one of the most potent tools in how to prevent breast cancer, or any type of cancer for that matter, is free and widely available to all – exercise and physical activity. The following article reveals more.

Vigorous Activity Lowers Risk of Breast Cancer in Women

by Reuben Chow

Recent research published in the journal Breast Cancer Research has found that vigorous activities, which include chores such as digging in the garden and heavy housework, lower the risk of women getting breast cancer. This protective effect, however, only applied to women who were in the normal weight range.

About Breast Cancer

In 2004, over 185,000 women and more than 1,800 men in the United States alone were diagnosed with breast cancer, while almost 41,000 women and 362 men succumbed to the disease.

In that year, breast cancer was the number two cancer killer of American women, ranked only after non-melanoma skin cancer, while also being their number five killer overall. In addition, for Hispanic women, breast cancer was the number one cancer killer.

In Canada, the picture isn’t much better either. Among Canadian women, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society has estimated that some 22,400 women will be diagnosed with it this year, while about 5,300 will succumb to the disease.

Details of Study

Exercise has already been heavily linked with the prevention of many chronic diseases. Also, previously, other studies had suggested that women who went through more physical activity had lower risks of getting breast cancer. But this time, the researchers dug deeper.

In this study, conducted by the National Cancer Institute of the US National Institutes of Health, more than 32,000 women from across the United States were tracked for a period of 11 years. The average age of the subjects was 61, and all of them were free from chronic diseases at the start of the study. The participants were made to fill out a detailed questionnaire regarding their physical activity.

The survey asked the participants to estimate the typical number of hours which they spent each day carrying out various physical activities. These included moderate activities such as bowling, gardening, hiking, jogging lightly, mowing the lawn, vacuuming the floor and walking.

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