Study: Vigorous Physical Activity May Lower Risk of Breast Cancer

Hispanic and Caucasian women who engage in vigorous physical activity may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, according to researchers.

Researchers from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, the University of Southern California Health Sciences Center, and Johns Hopkins University studied breast cancer cases in New Mexico women, ages 35 to 74, from 1992 to 1994, and measured weekly hours of physical activity.

The researchers reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology that that women in the highest category of vigorous activity had a lower risk of developing breast cancer than women reporting no physical activity.

The risk of breast cancer decreased with increasing physical activity in pre- and post-menopausal Hispanic women, they said, but the effect was only protective in post-menopausal Caucasians.

"The effects of physical activity were independent from reproductive factors, usual body mass index, body mass index at age 18, adult weight gain and total energy intake," said the researchers.

Other Sources: American Journal of Epidemiology