Girls can prevent breast cancer by doing exercise

Don’t lock up your daughters - new research has found that exercise is vital for helping to protect young girls from developing breast cancer in later life.

Girls in their teenage years can best benefit from an exercise regime that will cut their risk of breast cancer.

Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University, who carried out the study, said: “This really points to the benefit of sustained physical activity from adolescence through the adult years, to get the maximum benefit.”

Researchers quizzed 65,000 nurses between the ages of 24 to 42 about their exercise regimes dating back to when they were twelve. Six years after the commencement of the study, 550 of the participants were diagnosed with pre-menopausal breast cancer. Breast cancer that is diagnosed before the age of 42 is usually a more aggressive form, and counts for a quarter of all diagnoses.

The women who were physically active in their younger years were almost a quarter less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 42. The study recommends at least three hours of vigorous activity each week - that’s less than half an hour a day.

So, there you have it. There’s no time like the present - get off the sofa and start getting fit!

Source: Associated Press