Exercise when young may cut breast cancer

Exercise — do it early and often.

Women who exercise regularly between ages 12 and 35 may cut their risk of breast cancer by 23%, according to information gleaned from 65,000 women enrolled in the Nurses Health Study II, a prospective study of registered nurses.

The nurses filled out questionnaires that included inquiries about their level of physical activity from age 12 and up. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University in Boston found that over six years, rates of invasive breast cancer ranged from 194 cases per 100,000 person-years in the least active women, to 136 cases among the most active. The most active women ran about 3.25 hours a week or walked 13 hours a week.

"We don't have a lot of prevention strategies for pre-menopausal breast cancer, but our findings clearly show that physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood can pay off in the long run by reducing a woman's risk of early breast cancer," says lead investigator Dr. Graham Colditz, associate director of prevention and control at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, in a news release.

A news release about the study is available here. The study will appear online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

--Janet Cromley

Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Kate]

One more reason to make sure that kids are getting phys ed and recess on a regular basis. Heck, I think we'd all benefit if we had recess at work as well :) Kate www.aftercancernowwhat/wordpress.com