Women who walk every day are less likely to develop breast cancer as a brisk walk can reduce the risk of developing this disease among women over 50 years, says a study conducted by American researchers.
According to dailymail.co.uk, the risk of developing breast cancer is 14 percent lower in women with a moderate physical activity, 60 minutes each day, compared to those with a sedentary life.
Also, women engaged in strenuous activities have a double protection and the risk of suffering from breast cancer decreased by 25 percent. Previous studies have shown the benefits of exercise, but scientists say this study is the first to examine the benefits of walking in this age category.
Walking helps to remove body fat, which stimulate the production of estrogen and insulin hormones that cause cancer. Scientists at the American Cancer Society studied 73,615 postmenopausal women, of whom 4,760 were diagnosed with breast cancer during the research, conducted over a period of 17 years.
Of the women who participated in the research, 47 percent said that walking was their only leisure activity. Also, women who walk at least seven hours a week had a 14 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer, compared with those who walked three hours or less per week .
On the other hand, the study showed that women who had a more vigurous physical activity, for one hour each day, had a 25 percent lower risk of developing the disease compared to women less active .
“Our results clearly support an association between physical activity and postmenopausal breast cancer, with more vigorous activity having a stronger effect,” said study author, Alpa Patel, who added: ” Our findings are particularly relevant, as people struggle with conflicting information about how much activity they need to stay healthy. Without any other recreational physical activities, walking on average of at least one hour per day was associated with a modestly lower risk of breast cancer. More strenuous and longer activities lowered the risk even more.”
In this context, researchers say that walking can be a good way to encourage women to become more active .
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