New study shows that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with a lower risk of breast cancer
A new article from yahoo!sport, written by Rick Peason, goes into detail about a new study that shows that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with a lower risk of breast cancer.
Women with good cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) have a 24% lower chance of developing breast cancer. That’s according to a new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
It looked at almost 18,000 postmenopausal women over an 11-year period. During that time, there were 529 cases of invasive breast cancer, 1,623 non-breast cancer diseases and 241 deaths. CRF, defined as ‘the ability of a body’s respiratory and circulatory system to provide oxygen to skeletal muscles during sustained physical activity’, was determined via a submaximal bicycle test. At this point, participants were ranks as having, low, moderate or high CRF.
After adjusting for other breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and increased BMI, researchers found the high CRF reduced risk by almost a quarter (24%). It’s an empowering discovery as several known cancer risk factors, such as family history, are unchangeable. CRF, meanwhile, is changeable through activities such as running, cycling, swimming and walking.
The results are in line with previous research, including a meta-analysis of 73 studies, that found women who participated in physical activity had, on average, a 25% lower risk of breast cancer. And this association was more pronounced in women who participated in sustained moderate to vigorous physical activity, or physical activity across their lifetime.
Interestingly, in this latest study, the cancer-reducing benefits of high cardio fitness were felt chiefly by women who had ‘elevated levels of body fat’. This led the researchers to conclude, ‘Findings from this study suggest that high cardiorespiratory fitness may be a protective factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, in particular those who are overweight or obese.’
