Exercise Cuts Older Women's Risk

While numerous studies have touted the benefits of exercise in reducing breast cancer risk for younger women, a new study by Dutch researchers has specifically focused on its benefits for older women. And they are significant.

Writing in the journal Cancer, Dr. Miranda Dirx of Maastricht University in the Netherlands and colleagues reported on their study of the exercise habits of more than 62,000 women aged 55 and 69. Over the seven-year study period, they found a remarkable 19 percent reduction in breast cancer incidence among women who biked or walked for more than an hour each day.

"Physical activity is one of the few modifiable, protective factors for breast cancer," they wrote, noting that this is especially important for postmenopausal women because more than 75 percent of all breast cancers occur in that age group.

An earlier study in the American Journal of Epidemiology documented the benefits of lifetime exercise for women in reducing breast cancer risk. Dr. C.M. Friedenreich of the Alberta Cancer Board in Canada and colleagues compared the long-term exercise habits of 1,200 postmenopausal breast cancer patients with a comparable number of women without the disease.

They found that the women who reported the highest levels of physical activity were 30 percent less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women with the lowest activity levels.

Interestingly, they found that household and occupational activities could confer similar-if not greater-benefits than recreational pursuits such as sports or exercise classes. This was important, they noted, because many women may not be athletically inclined but they should realize that walking, gardening and other home-related activities can also provide important benefits.

SOURCES:

Cancer, September 15, 2001; 92:1638-1649
American Journal of Epidemiology, August 15, 2001; 154:336-347

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