A new study from the University of Pennsylvania found that regular exercise can help protect women against lung cancer. The study was published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.
Lung cancer is the number three cause of cancer related deaths in men and women. Both sexes can develop lung cancer regardless of a history of cigarette smoke exposure. Lung cancer can also develop due to metastasis from cancer in other parts of the body.
Researchers gathered information about exercise and cancer incidence over a 16 year period from more than 35,000 women who were enrolled in the Iowa Women's Health Study.
Each of the women were questioned about their exercise habits. Women were rated as highly active if they participated in moderate exercise four or more times a week or vigorous exercise more than one time a week.
Moderate exercise would be brisk walking, stair climber, or aerobics. Vigorous exercise would be bicycling, swimming or running.
Women who were moderate to vigorous exercisers lowered their risk for lung cancer by 23 percent. If they were also smokers this risk was lowered by 28 percent, though smoking also significantly increased their risk over non-smokers.
And women who were ex-smokers and exercised at least moderately lowered their risk by the greatest amount, an astounding 37 percent.
The lead researcher wanted to stress that the best choice to lower one's risk is to quit smoking, if a smoker.
The report did not elaborate about a possible mechanism.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on December 27, 2006 03:08 PM
