Exercise: Take It Seriously
Posted 9/23/2009
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I have written a number of other blogs about the possible impact of regular mild/moderate exercise on the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Previous studies have been enough to get me out of bed early (already, in late September, in the dark), dressed, and heading for the gym every morning. Full disclosure: I have never enjoyed the gym. I do appreciate the chance to read for half an hour on the elliptical trainer, and then I force myself through some weights. Years ago, when I was a serious runner and once completed a marathon, I waited for the reported "runners' high". It never happened. It has always been about will power, being stubborn, wanting to pretty much eat what I want, and, now, hoping to stay alive longer.
This recent study by Adeyemi Ogunleye and Michelle Holmes from the Harvard School of Public Health should be enough to motivate all of us:
Physical activity improves quality of life after a breast cancer diagnosis, and a beneficial effect on survival would be particularly welcome. Four observational studies have now reported decreased total mortality among physically active women with breast cancer; the two largest have also reported decreased breast cancer specific mortality. The estrogen pathway and the insulin pathway are two potential mechanisms by which physical activity could affect breast cancer survival. Randomized trials are ongoing but trials of lifestyle factors are notoriously challenging to perform. Women with breast cancer have little to lose and >may possibly gain from moderate exercise.
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