Exercise, housework cut uterine cancer risk
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Premenopausal women who are very physically active—especially those who put in the most work around the house—may be cutting their risk of developing cancer of the uterine lining.
Among 253,023 women followed for more than six years, those who had not yet reached menopause at the study’s outset and were the most physically active were 34 percent less likely to develop endometrial cancer than their more sedentary peers. Three to four hours of household or recreational activity each day produced the greatest benefit.
“This amount and type of activity is achievable by many in the at-risk population,” Dr. Christine Friedenreich of the Alberta Cancer Board in Calgary, Canada and her colleagues write in the International Journal of Cancer.
Several studies have tied exercise with reduced endometrial cancer risk, but just two examined total activity rather than just occupational or recreational activity only, Friedenreich and her team point out.
To better understand what types of physical activity might be protective, the researchers analyzed data from the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC), which includes more than 500,000 men and women living in 10 European countries.
Participants in the EPIC study had reported their level of physical activity on the job, as well as the time spent doing a variety of recreational and household activities during a week in the previous year, for both winter and summer.
During an average of 6.6 years of follow-up, 689 women developed endometrial cancer.
Overall, the most active women were 12 percent less likely to be diagnosed with the disease, but this was not a statistically significant difference. However, among premenopausal women, those who were moderately active or active were 34 percent less likely to be diagnosed with cancer than less active women. And for the premenopausal women who did the most work around the house, endometrial cancer risk was 52 percent lower.
Exercise may cut cancer risk by reducing estrogen levels, trimming body fat, and controlling insulin levels, Friedenreich and her colleagues point out.
“Although the results from this study provide only modest support for a protective effect of physical activity on endometrial cancer risk, previous research is suggestive of a moderate beneficial effect and future research that examines more precisely the optimal dose, type and time periods in life when physical activity might have an impact is warranted,” they conclude.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, July 15, 2007.
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