The study was performed by Agnes Fournier, from the Insitut Gustave Roussy in France, and her team of scientists. It was published on August 11, in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
They found that regular physical activity will cut the odds of breast cancer in women who have reached menopause; they’ve also found that the protection disappears as soon as the women stop exercising.
The study tracked 59,000 women who were postmenopausal in France; they were followed for around 8.5 years. During the years they were followed, more than 2,100 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.
The women who in the previous years had done regular exercise (at least four hours of cycling or walking per week), were 10% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those who did less exercise than that.
Chief of the division of breast surgery at Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s hospitals in New York City, Dr. Alison Estabrook, wasn’t very surprised by the results of the study:
As a breast surgeon, one of my roles is to discuss prevention strategies for women. Exercise is certainly one prevention strategy I discuss for many reasons, and this study emphasizes the importance of physical activity and of its continuation in the postmenopausal years.
The impact of exercise on the health of the women was independent of body fat, weight, waist circumference and even exercise levels from five to nine years earlier.
Physical activity is thought to decrease a woman’s risk for breast cancer after menopause. However, it was not clear how rapidly this association is observed after regular physical activity is begun or for how long it lasts after regular exercise stops. Our study answers these questions. We found that recreational physical activity, even of modest intensity, seemed to have a rapid impact on breast cancer risk.
She added that because the effect is greatly diminished after the exercising stops, women should be encouraged to continue. Exercising has plenty of other health benefits, such as lowering of blood pressure and regulating blood sugar.
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