Reduce your waistline and
breast-cancer risk
More than two dozen studies have shown that women who exercise have a
30 percent to 40 percent lower risk of breast cancer than their sedentary
peers. The female hormone estrogen seems to play a key role. Women with high
estrogen levels in their blood have increased risk for breast cancer. Since
exercise lowers blood estrogen, it helps lower a woman’s breast-cancer risk.
Exercise also reduces other cancer-growth factors such as insulin.
Even older women need to be concerned about estrogen, because after
menopause the hormone is produced by fat cells. Women who exercise have less
fat and therefore produce less estrogen. With more than 150,000 new
breast-cancer cases reported in the United States each year, preventing cancer
through exercise is one of the best ways a woman can take charge of her health.
Win the battle against colon
cancer
Exercise plays a dramatic role in preventing cancer of the colon and
rectum. Nearly 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each
year, and nearly 50,000 die from the disease. Encouragingly, more than three
dozen studies show exercisers reduce their risk of colon cancer by 20 percent
or more compared to sedentary people, and the benefits are seen in both men and
women, although the effect is greater in men. Changes in digestive acids and
other substances also occur with exercise, and these changes are believed to
provide some protection from colon cancer. Decreases in body fat, insulin and
other growth factors also may contribute to exercisers’ lower colon-cancer
risk. Current research is also uncovering new ways in which physical activity
cuts cancer risk—from reducing chronic inflammation to improving DNA repair.
How much exercise is too much?
According to national activity guidelines, a good goal is to exercise
at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. To get the most benefit,
though, aim for about an hour a day. Moderate-intensity activities such as
brisk walking may be sufficient, although there is more benefit with increased
intensity.
Get up off the couch!
It’s easier than you think! A half hour of physical activity daily such
as walking, slow swimming, leisurely bike riding or golfing without a cart will
get you started. Here are some other ways to be more active:
·
Use stairs rather than an elevator.
·
Walk or bike to your destination, and walk
around the block after dinner.
·
Exercise at lunch with your family or friends.
·
Go dancing.
·
Wear a pedometer every day and watch your daily
steps increase.
·
Join a sports team.
·
Walk to visit co-workers rather than send an
e-mail.
·
Use a stationary bike or do sit-ups, leg lifts
and push-ups while watching TV.
·
Park a little farther from your office, the
store or the library for a nice walk.
·
When the weather is too poor to be outside, grab
a partner and “walk the mall.”
·
Vary your type of exercise so you won’t get
bored or think it’s a chore.
Often people view exercise narrowly as a way to lose weight or to look
better. These incentives can be effective, but exercise is really about a
person taking charge of his or her health, preventing chronic diseases like
cancer, and living longer.
Women it's never too late to
start
Even moderate activity can be critically important in helping
menopausal women reduce their risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic
ailments. Exercise reduces fat deep in the abdomen (“intra-abdominal” fat), a
hidden risk factor because it can raise insulin levels, which promote the
growth of cancer cells as well as cholesterol levels. Most American women gain
1 to 2 pounds on average every year, and that adds up to dangerous levels over
a lifetime.
The beauty of exercise as a method to reduce total and intra-abdominal
fat—and therefore chronic disease —is that it can be done by most women at low
cost and with low risk of side effects.
It’s never too late to enjoy the health benefits of exercise!
Want more information?
For more information on this and other cancer-related topics, call the
National Cancer Institute’s
Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or visit
www.cancer.gov.
Source: http://www.fhcrc.org/en/events/healthy-living/Trim-Risk.html
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