EXERCISE: It protects against breast cancer, and helps you when you h

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[wddty.co.uk]

 

EXERCISE:  It protects against breast cancer, and helps you when you

have it, too

 

We all know that exercise is good for us, and a gentle version of it is

especially beneficial for anyone with a heart condition.  But now

researchers have discovered that it can also help people with cancer.

A research team put a small group of women with early-stage breast

cancer through a 12-week exercise programme, which included fast

walking.  All the women reported greater mobility in their shoulders,

and the quality of their life had improved.  These improvements

carried on for six months after completing the exercise programme.

But earlier studies suggest an even more exciting possibility.  In a

review of 48 studies, researchers found that postmenopausal women who

exercised reduced their risk of breast cancer by 80 per cent, while it

had a 20 per cent protective effect among women who had not reached

menopause.

(Source:  British Medical Journal, 2007; 334: 484-5; Epidemiology,

2007; 18: 137-157).