Physically fit women less likely to die of breast cancer
Public health researchers at the University of South Carolina have found that physically fit women are less likely to die from breast cancer.
The findings were published in the April 2009 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.
The study of more than 14,000 women found that those with moderate or high aerobic fitness levels were much less likely to die from breast cancer, said Dr Steve Blair, a researcher at the university’s Arnold School of Public Health.
“Women in the study’s lowest fitness category were nearly three times more likely to die from breast cancer than women in the most-fit group,” he said.
“We believe this is the first study to evaluate the association of objectively measured fitness and risk of dying from breast cancer. The results suggest a stronger protective effect than has been seen in most studies on self-reported physical activity and breast cancer, probably because the objective laboratory test of fitness is more accurate that self-reports of activity.
“Women who do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, like walking, per week will escape the low fitness category,” he said.
“Even better for some women, this activity can be accumulated in 10-minute bouts.”
This level of exercise meets can be easily achieved in 30 minutes of exercise five days/week.
“With more than 40,000 women dying each year from this disease, finding a strong association between fitness, which can be improved by the relatively inexpensive lifestyle intervention of regular physical activity, such as walking, is exciting,” Dr Blair said.
In addition, the study found that women with high aerobic fitness had lower body mass index, better cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and fewer chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
