Exercise reduces breast cancer: New evidence

New research may give young women another reason to hit the gym, take up a summer fitness activity or sign up for a 5k walk/run. A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention shows that regular aerobic activity appears to protect young women from breast cancer by changing the way women’s bodies metabolize estrogen. The study compared a group of active females with inactive females and found women who exercised for 30 minutes a day, five days a week showed improved estrogen metabolism, with an increase in “good” estrogen metabolites that lower breast cancer risk. Though several studies have suggested that exercise reduces a woman’s breast cancer risk, this is one of the first to explain the mechanism behind this.

Read the full LA Times article.