Southlake, TX – While it’s often said that an apple a day can keep the doctor away, regular exercise doesn’t hurt either. For post-menopausal women hoping to lower their chances of breast cancer this particular habit can fast become an important one. Researchers are finding that older women who exercise routinely can lower their risks for developing this potentially life-limiting disease.

“While women cannot control all the risk factors associated with breast cancer, this is one they can,” says Dr. Gregory Echt, founder and lead surgeon at Southlake Oncology, a Choice Cancer Center.

“Routine exercise has not only been shown to lower breast cancer risks for older women, it can also improve overall health while reducing the odds of such other conditions as heart disease and diabetes.”
The latest research backing a solid exercise plan for post-menopausal women comes courtesy of Canada’s Alberta Health Services. Researchers here asked 400 women to commit to exercising regularly for the period of a year. The women, all age 50 and up, were broken into two groups. One group exercised for about a half-hour five times a week. The second worked out twice as long, logging roughly 5 hours a week each.

Following a year of study, researchers found breast cancer risks reduced in both groups. The reduction, however, was stronger in the group that exercised more. Those who followed the normal recommendation of 30 minutes, five days a week saw their risk drop by about 4.6 percent. Those who exercised more saw risks fall by about 6.9 percent.

“Exercise can have a profound impact on overall health while helping keep post-menopausal women’s weight in check,” says Dr. Echt. “While it’s impossible to guarantee breast cancer won’t be a concern at some point in a woman’s life, exercise can help stack the odds in a woman’s favor.”

About Southlake Oncology
Southlake Oncology located in the Southlake and Grapevine area is a community-focused oncology practice that delivers exceptional care to North Texas cancer patients with a variety of cancer diagnoses and blood disorders. Like the other Choice Cancer Care facilities, we are an independent treatment center that is physician-owned.