Physical activity may not only help prevent breast cancer, but also treat the disease and improve prognosis, early studies suggest.

A new case-control study published in the May 2010 issue of Nutrition and Cancer confirmed that physical activity may reduce breast cancer risk regardless of race, weight status or family history of the disease.

Ratnasinghe LD and colleagues from Cytonix in Beltsville, Maryland evaluated the association between physical activity and breast cancer risk among 1,463 breast cancer cases and 4,862 controls who participated in a multinational study.

After adjusting for age, race, body mass index, and pack years of smoking, the researchers found Women who engaged in physical activity once per week or more were 50% less likely to have breast cancer than those who reported physical activity less than once per week.

Women who reported physical activity 3 times per week or more did not seemed to gain any additional benefits. 

Regardless of race, women being physically active for more than 30 minutes per week were 35% or more less likely to have breast cancer.

David Liu