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15 May 2008
Exercising on a regular basis at a young age can help to reduce the chance of women getting early breast cancer, new research suggests.
A study conducted by experts at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and Harvard University in Boston found that fitness could slow the onset of the disease.
Scientists observed data from the Nurses Health Study II which questioned 64,777 registered nurses aged 24 to 42.
They were asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire on a yearly basis about their levels of physical activity from the age of 12 onwards.
It found that those who had exercised regularly from their teenage years had a lower breast cancer risk than others but that the type of sport had little effect.
"This is just one more reason to encourage young girls and women to exercise regularly," said Graham Colditz, associate director of prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine.
"You don't have to be a marathon runner to get the risk-reducing benefits of exercise," he added.
Some experts claim that the reason fitter women have less chance of having breast cancer at a young age is because they are less exposed to oestrogen.
Previous studies have suggested that the more oestrogen a woman is exposed to, the greater her risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sportier young women generally start their periods later than those who do less exercise and are therefore less exposed to the hormone.
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