No matter what’s your story, time and time again research has shown exercise is beneficial for our overall health.
Previous studies have shown breast cancer survivors who meet the current exercise recommendations reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by 25 percent. Those recommendations include 2.5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
Now new findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, suggest exceeding the exercise recommendations could provide greater protection. It also concluded running may be better than walking.
“If I were a breast cancer survivor, I would certainly consider running or some other vigorous exercise over walking, and I wouldn’t just be doing the minimum, with the consequences and potential benefit being so great,” said study author Paul Williams of the lab’s Life Sciences Division in a press release.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) followed 986 breast cancer survivors as part of the National Runners’ and Walkers’ Health Study.
During the nine-year study period, 33 of the 714 walkers and 13 of the runners died from breast cancer.
Researchers determined on average all study participants risk for breast cancer mortality decreased by 24 percent per metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per day of exercise.
For example, one MET hour equals a little less than a mile of brisk walking or about two-thirds of a mile of running.
However, when researchers analyzed runners and walkers separately, they found runners mortality risk to be significantly lower than walkers.
Runners’ risk for breast cancer mortality decreased more than 40 percent per MET hour per day.
Researchers also determined runners who averaged over 2 and a quarter miles per day lower their risk of dying from breast cancer by 95 percent compared to counterparts who didn’t meet the current exercise recommendations.
However, walkers’ didn’t see a dramatic drop in their risk for breast cancer mortality. Each MET hour per day represented a five percent drop in risk.
Researchers caution this doesn’t disprove the benefits of walking, but it does show exceeding current exercise recommendations is probably better than simply meeting them.
Running and walking also seem to be equally beneficial in the primary prevention of breast cancer, according to previous studies.
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