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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Now, theres more motivation to hit the gym: its good for your breast health! A new study reveals girls and young women who exercise regularly between the ages of 12 and 35 significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer before menopause compared to those who are less active.
Researchers studied nearly 65,000 women and found those that exercised more often had a 23 percent lower chance of breast cancer before menopause. One-fourth of all breast cancers are diagnosed in women before menopause. The reduced breast cancer risk was most strongly linked to physical activity between the ages of 12 and 22.
We dont have a lot of prevention strategies for premenopausal breast cancer, but our findings clearly show that physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood can pay off in the long run by reducing a womans risk of early breast cancer, lead investigator Graham Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., the Niess-Gain Professor and associate director of Prevention and Control at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., was quoted as saying. This is just one more reason to encourage young girls and women to exercise regularly.
Some theorize exercise lowers the breast cancer risk by reducing exposure to estrogens, which have been linked to the disease. Those who start menstruating later or begin menopause early have a lower risk of breast cancer, experts say. Young women who are physically active typically start their periods later and, when they do, are less likely to have regular cycles.
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SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published online May 13, 2008
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