Can You Simply Walk Away From Breast Cancer?
We have heard about an apple a day, but how about a walk a day?
A new 17-year study conducted by the American Cancer Society offers yet another connection between exercise and optimal health.
The statistics covered in the video below, and the links you will find in the transcript, demonstrate that the health benefits of walking are not merely for weight loss, but daily walking also offers a significant preventative measure toward warding off breast cancer.
This new study lends support to others which have showed the literal dangers of sitting still. Despite our increasing reliance on computers and an endless array of gadgets that tend to keep us rooted in place, in light of all of the evidence we must make time to stay as active as possible. Even for those who work long hours in front of a computer, there are many ways to add stretching and increased activity to your work environment in order to preserve a beneficial level of fitness.
This is another reminder that there are plenty of low-cost, or no-cost natural solutions available to us. Light to moderate exercise is one of the most effective ways to increase our defenses and forgo the use of side-effect-ridden big pharma medications.
Full transcript with additional links
BY ELIZABETH HAGEDORN
Women who walk at least one hour a day can lower their risk of breast cancer.
That’s according to a new study from the American Cancer Society. Over 17 years, researchers monitored the physical activity of more than 70,000 postmenopausal women. (Via CBS)
Those who walked at least seven hours a week — even if it were their only form of exercise — had a 14 percent lower risk. Women who engaged in more vigorous activity lowered their risk even more — they were 25 percent less likely to get breast cancer. (Via NBC, WNBC)
Encouraging news for women who aren’t up for hitting the gym. As one of the researchers put it: “The nice message here is, you don’t have to go out and run a marathon to lower your breast cancer risk.” (Via HealthDay)
Increased exposure to estrogen can up a person’s risk of breast cancer. Estrogen, of course, is the hormone that promotes cancer cell growth. A medical expert explains to CBC what walking has to do it.
“Exercise increases blood flow everywhere. With breast cancer you’re losing fat, therefore you’re losing estrogen.”
Current federal guidelines suggest adults get 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, but fewer than half of Americans get that much in and a third don’t exercise at all. (Via CDC)
The researchers say factors like weight, the amount of time spent sitting and the use of hormone replacement therapy didn’t appear to have an effect on whether a woman developed breast cancer.
image: Wikimedia Commons
