Saturday, January 3, 2015

Breast Cancer and Exercise

An article by Jacob Schor in the October 2014 issue of the Natural Medicine Journal looked at a study investigating breast cancer mortality risk in breast cancer survivors who ran and in those who walked as their form of exercise.
With exercise in general, it was found the risk of breast cancer mortality decreased by 24% per MET hour (1 MET hour = approximately 1 mile of brisk walking and 2/3 of a mile of running) per day.  When separating the running and walking groups, the women who ran had their risk of breast cancer mortality decreased by 40% per MET hour per day while the women who walked had their risk of breast cancer mortality decreased by only 5% per MET hour per day. 
These statistics are confusing but basically point to the women who used running as their form of exercise, post breast cancer diagnosis, having a more significantly reduced risk of breast cancer mortality than the women who walked.  
Even more interestingly, the study found that women who ran more than 2.25 miles per day were at a 95% lower risk for breast cancer mortality than breast cancer survivors who did not meet current exercise recommendations (which are moderate intensity physical activity for 30 minutes 5 times per week or vigorous intensity physical activity for 20 minutes 3 times per week).  
The information from this study provides valuable guidance on the form of exercise that is most beneficial for breast cancer survivors to integrate into their regular routine.  

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