Regular exercise or physical activity reduces risk of
cancer, according to a new study led by James McClain of the National Cancer
Institute and colleagues and reported at a meeting of the American Association
for Cancer Research.
The study of 5,968 women in Maryland confirmed previous
studies that have shown people who did physical exercise regularly were at lower
risk of developing cancer.
The study also found among women who were in the upper
half with regard to the amount of physical activity each week, those who slept
less than seven hours per night were 47 percent more likely to develop cancer
than those who slept longer.
Physical activity has also been associated with reduced
risk of breast cancer risk in many previous studies.
One study led by Michael F Leitzmann and colleagues at
the National Cancer Institute and published in the Oct. 2008 issue of Breast
Cancer Research found that postmenopausal women with body mass index lower than
25 kg/m2 who engaged in vigorous physical activity were 23 percent less likely
to develop breast cancer.
But no such
association was found in overweight and obese women.
The researchers followed up 32,000 women who enrolled in
the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project Follow-up Study to examine if
there was an association between risk of breast cancer and physical exercise.
Another study led by Freedman DM and colleagues from
National Cancer Institute and published in Oct 21, 2008 issue of Cancer Causes
and Control found physical activity like walking and hiking for 10 or more
hours per week rendered the greatest protection against breast cancer in women,
a 43 percent reduction in the risk.
Coyle YM from University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center says in a report published in the Dec 2008 issue of Cancer Causes and
Control that physical activity is a protective factor for breast cancer.
The author says "Animal studies suggest that physical
activity decreases breast tumor growth by promoting changes in cellular
proliferation and apoptosis. Human studies provide some support for exercise
producing favorable changes in estrogen metabolism that may lead to reduced
breast epithelial cell proliferation."
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