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Exercise 'first defence' against early breast cancer

14/05/2008

Girls and young women can "substantially" lower their risk of breast cancer by exercising regularly, scientists have claimed.

An American study says regular but not intense exercise can reduce the likelihood of pre-menopausal breast cancer by 23 per cent in females aged between 12 and 35.

That was the finding of a joint study involving 65,000 women by the Washington University school of medicine and Harvard University.

Lead researcher Graham Colditz said the report amounted to the largest and most detailed analysis of the effects of exercise upon pre-menopausal breast cancer.

"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," he writes in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"This is just one more reason to encourage young girls and women to exercise regularly."

One quarter of all breast cancers are diagnosed in women before the menopause, but Professor Colditz explained running the equivalent of three hours and 15 minutes a week or walking 13 hours a week could significantly improve a woman's chances of not contracting cancer.

"You don't have to be a marathon runner to get the risk-reducing benefits of exercise," he added.