Breast cancer: running reduces mortality in women survivors of the disease
Surviving breast cancer: running is a panacea for better health
Running protects against breast cancer more than walking. In fact, in women who have had surgery and survived cancer, running reduces the risk of mortality by more than 40 percent. An American study reveals this, thus correcting the indications of previous research, which recommended moderate physical activity such as walking.
The discovery was made by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, USA, and published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Cancer and physical activity
In recent years, numerous studies have suggested the importance of exercise in the primary prevention of several types of cancer such as breast, prostate and colon cancer. And, in women with breast cancer, physical activity would also reduce the risk of mortality. The mechanism of this protective action is not yet clear, but it is well established that a proper lifestyle and healthy diet are critical for both prevention and rehabilitation from cancer. Previous studies have suggested that 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per week is needed to reduce the likelihood of dying from cancer by 25 percent in women previously affected by the disease.In contrast, the new scientific work shows that vigorous exercise is more effective than simply walking.
Running reduces mortality in women operated for breast cancer
During the research, 986 women survivors of breast cancer were observed who had taken part in The National Runners and Walkers Health Study, a large study, begun in 1998, aimed at analyzing the relationship between different types of physical activity and their health effects. Of the 714 women walkers, 33 had died from breast cancer after 9 years, while of the 272 who ran, 13 had died. Analyzed in total, these numbers show that with both types of physical activity, the risk of mortality is reduced by about 24 percent per hour of metabolic equivalent (MET) per day. Where one hour of MET is equivalent to the energy expended for a walk of about a mile or a run of about a mile. When analyzed separately, however, the data indicate lower mortality among female runners than among female walkers. For the former, mortality decreased by 40% per hour of MET per day, while for women who preferred to walk, the rate dropped by 5% per hour of MET. In addition, those who ran about 2.5 miles per day showed a 95% lower mortality risk than women who did not perform the recommended physical activity.
Running and walking, here are the positive effects
These results suggest, therefore, that running has greater positive effects than walking in the post-diagnosis treatment of breast cancer. As clarified by the researchers, the study does not disprove the beneficial effect of walking, because of the smaller number of subjects analyzed compared with those in earlier studies, but it does suggest how more physical activity may have greater positive effects. The reason for the difference between the two types of sports is not yet understood, and although several research studies have confirmed that running is more effective than walking in losing weight, other health effects, with the same amount of energy expended, are similar. In fact, running and walking are both recommended for diabetes, cardiovascular risk reduction, and brain cancer prevention. In addition, both running and walking have equal importance in the primary prevention of breast cancer.
Source: Williams PT. "Significantly greater reduction in breast cancer mortality from post-diagnosis running than walking." Int J Cancer. 2014 Jan 27. doi: 10.1002/ijc.28740.
