Prevent Breast Cancer with Fitness

9NEWS.com | Colorado's Online News Leader | Fit women less likely to die of cancer

KUSA - Many people exercise to stay healthy or get healthy. Now there is new evidence that exercise will give you an edge if you're diagnosed with breast cancer.
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A new study from the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health looks at the benefits of aerobic exercise when it comes to surviving cancer.

This study involved 14,000 women between the ages 20 through 83. They were given preventative medical exams and treadmill tests at the Cooper Clinic in Houston from 1970-2001. At the time of the exams, the women had no history of breast cancer.

The researchers classified the women's fitness into three categories: low, moderate or high.

Women in the lowest fitness category were nearly three times more likely to die from breast cancer than women in the fit group.

To reach the moderate fitness category, women need to exercise about 150 minutes per week. High fitness translates to 300 minutes per week.

Researchers noted that with more than 40,000 women dying each year from breast cancer, this strong connection to fitness proves that regular physical activity, such as walking is a simple and inexpensive lifestyle change.

This study of aerobic exercise is reported in the April issue of the scientific journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

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