If you've always felt powerless aga...

If you've always felt powerless against the threat of breast cancer -- from which approximately 45000 women in the United States die annually -- a of the present day study shows that there may be something you can do to empower yourself and lower your risk exercise.

The research conducted by Inger Thune, MD et al, which appeared in the May 1 1997 issue of The modern England Journal of Medicine, originate that physical activity, both during leisure time and at work, is associated with a reduc breast cancer risk.

single of the reasons theorized for this association is that exercise is believed to lower a woman's cumulative position to the hormones estrogen and progesterone thereby inhibiting the exhibition of breast cancer.

This meditation which was conducted on 25624 premenopausal and postmenopausal Norwegian women construct that those who engaged in greater physical activity experienced a reduc risk of breast cancer.

The measure and estimate was carried out in sum of two units parts. The first was done from 1974 to 1978 and the other from 1977 to 1983. There was crossover between participants in the overlooks The women ranged in age from 20 to 54 years of age at the time of passage into the study. Questions asked were in regards to diet, weight, the age they began menstruating, the number of children they had, the age they were when they had their first child, and physical activity during leisure time and at work.

Measuring physical activity

flats of self-reported physical activity during the two leisure and work time in the year preceding each overlook were graded from 1 to 4 depending forward the intensity of the activity, with 1 being the lowest plain of activity and 4 being the highest. Grades were determined as follows:

Leisure time activities/grades:

1 - reading, watching television, or other sedentary activities; 2 - walking, bicycling, or engaging in other prototypes of physical activity for four hours by week; 3 - exercising to hold fast fit and participating in recreational athletics for four hours through week; 4 - regular, vigorous training or participating in competitive sports several times weekly.

Work-related activities/grades:

1 - mainly sedentary work; 2 - work which involved a fate of walking; 3 - work which required a allotment of lifting and walking; 4 - heavy manual labor.

Three to five years following this initial assessment, follow-up assessments were made to measure consistency of activity levels

The proceeds are promising

The participants were followed for an average of 14 years. There were 351 cases of breast cancer (100 among premenopausal women and 251 among postmenopausal women) reported among the dispose The average age at diagnosis was 547 years, with those afflicted ranging in age from 363 to 68

The women who reported doing heavy manual labor regularly and those who exercised at least four hours a week during leisure time experienced the fewest cases of breast cancer. Within these assign places tos premenopausal women experienced greater risk reductions than postmenopausal women

Thune et al., say that the findings are consistent to those of similar studies. They note, however, that they differ from those of a not many studies, but one featured older participants and another measured activity on a levels decades prior to diagnosis.

The researchers also rest that the protective effect was "notable among lean women who were consistently active during their leisure time." This is important since obesity has been associated with a greater risk of breast cancer. In fact, experiments in mice have shown that a lowered caloric-intake may shorten the risk of breast cancer. They also noted that triglycerides were higher in sedentary women than in more active women and this, in cause to deviate may cause a greater in all senses to estrogen, which is, as mentioned earlier, suspected to be a culprit in the progressive growth of breast cancer.

Women wishing to conceive

For women trying to conceive, these be deriveds should be greeted with a little les enthusiasm. Since heavy manual labor and regular, vigorous exercise can stop ovulation, those hoping to conceive should, perhaps, exercise les intensely. Women in this category may also want to increase their intake of estrogen-like soy isoflavones.

REFERENCES

Thune Inger, MD et at "Physical Activity and the Risk of Breast Cancer," The of recent origin England Journal of Medicine 336(18):1269-1312 May 1 1997

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