Study links exercise to reduction in breast cancer risk

Glasgow, United Kingdom – Regular exercise may lower a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new study presented at the 9th European Breast Cancer Conference.

Researchers from the International Prevention Research Institute analyzed 37 studies published between 1987 and 2013 on the relationship between breast cancer risk and exercise. Compared to sedentary women, women who exercised more than an hour a day were found to have a 12 percent lower chance of developing breast cancer regardless of their age, weight or geographic location.

However, the risk reduction varied by tumor type, and exercise did not appear to lower the odds for women using hormone replacement therapy.

Still, researchers concluded exercise is a “low-cost, simple strategy” to help reduce the risk of breast cancer.