Being active can reduce the risk of getting breast cancer and boost survival rates

If exercise were a pill, the experts say, every woman in Britain would be prescribed it.

According to a growing body of research, being physically active can reduce breast cancer risk by about 20 percent. The latest study supporting these findings, published in September ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, found that women who engaged in vigorous exercise, such as jogging at least three times a week, reduced their risk by 38 percent.

The risk reductions are so significant that they even occur in people who are particularly at risk because they carry the ‘Angelina Jolie gene’ – mutations known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, which the actress inherited from her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of the disease aged 56.

Regular activity has also been linked to a lower risk of bladder, colon, and prostate tumors.

While the exact reason exercise is so beneficial remains unclear, what is known is that being overweight or obese increases the risk of many serious conditions, from cancer and heart disease to stroke and type 2 diabetes. Thalie Martini, chief executive of Breast Cancer UK, says : ‘In postmenopausal women, weight is an important risk factor for breast cancer. So exercising to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight helps reduce the risk.’

A growing body of additional evidence shows that exercise also directly prevents breast cancer. It does this in part by making small changes to our DNA, which in turn reduce the amount of estrogen and insulin circulating in the body. Both hormones can cause breast cells to divide more often — a process that can lead to cancer. Inflammation is also reduced, which reduces the chances of cancer developing and progressing. Being active also boosts the immune system, meaning the body’s natural defenses can pick up rogue cells before they turn into cancer.

Martini adds: ‘If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever. If you combine it with other protective factors, such as drinking less alcohol and eating healthy, it becomes a powerful tool in the fight against the disease.’

So what are you waiting for? Get moving with some help from these expert tips.

REMEMBER, EVERY SMALL HELPS

Before knocking out a couch potato, know that even small amounts of exercise help — although the more you do and the more sweat you get, the better. It doesn’t have to be high intensity with a personal trainer either; try dancing or swimming – anything that gets your heart rate up.

Former breast cancer surgeon Liz O’Riordan, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, says: ‘A brisk walk for ten minutes every day is enough for your general health.

But to really see a difference and significantly reduce your risk of cancer, you need to be hot, sweaty, uncomfortable and breathless for 30 minutes at least three times a week.”

HIKING IS YOUR SECRET WEAPON

Even women who already have a breast cancer diagnosis can increase their chances of survival and reduce the risk of the disease returning by increasing their activity level. While exercise might be the last thing you want to do after chemo, making it hard to get off the couch, O’Riordan says it’s not a “dirty” word for cancer patients.

It does not necessarily have to be 5 km. Do whatever you feel like, she advises — which might just be a daily walk around the block. It helps control the side effects of the treatment, including reducing anxiety and improving your mood.

One study found that just an hour of walking a week improved the survival rates of people with breast cancer, with maximum benefits in women who walked 3-5 hours a week.

REACH TO WEIGHTS

In addition to heart rate-raising exercises, you should also do strength training, advises O’Riordan. Again, this doesn’t have to be high-tech and gym-oriented.

If you like lifting weights, that’s fine, but you can also try resistance bands. This is easier to do at home and can be incorporated into your day (the British Heart Foundation has great tips to get you started*). You can even do squats while boiling the kettle.

AND FINALLY, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

According to O’Riordan, the cancer-fighting effects of exercise “work even if you start taking it in the two weeks between diagnosis and surgery.”

Studies of men with lung cancer found that those who did three sessions on an exercise bike before going to the hospital had fewer complications. “It should be pre-hab — when you get the diagnosis,” she adds.

• Visit breastcanceruk.org.uk to learn more about the benefits of *Find resistance to physical activity