Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Most Breast Cancer Patients May Not Be Getting Enough Exercise

David Pesci Wiley Science Newsroom, 09 Jun, 2014 10:24 AM
    Physical activity after breast cancer diagnosis has been linked with prolonged survival and improved quality of life, but most participants in a large breast cancer study did not meet national physical activity guidelines after they were diagnosed. Moreover, African-American women were less likely to meet the guidelines than white women. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings indicate that efforts to promote physical activity in breast cancer patients may need to be significantly enhanced.
     
    The US Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the American Cancer Society, recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity (or an equivalent combination thereof) each week for general health benefits and for chronic disease prevention and management.
     
    Because it’s important to understand whether there is capacity for improvement in the physical activity levels of women with breast cancer, Brionna Hair, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her colleagues examined levels of and changes in physical activity following breast cancer diagnosis, overall and by race, in a population-based study of breast cancer patients. The study assessed pre- and post-diagnosis physical activity levels in 1,735 women aged 20 to 74 years who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2008 and 2011 in 44 counties of North Carolina.
     
    The researchers found that only 35 percent of breast cancer survivors met current physical activity guidelines post-diagnosis. A decrease in activity approximately six months after diagnosis was reported by 59 percent of patients, with the average participant reducing activity by 15 metabolic equivalent hours—equivalent to about five hours per week of brisk walking. When compared with white women, African-American women were about 40 percent less likely to meet national physical activity guidelines post-diagnosis, although their reported weekly post-diagnosis physical activity was not significantly different from that of White women (12 vs 14 metabolic equivalent hours). Ms. Hair noted that it’s important to realize that African-American women experience higher mortality from breast cancer than other groups in the United States.
     
    “Medical care providers should discuss the role physical activity plays in improving breast cancer outcomes with their patients, and strategies that may be successful in increasing physical activity among breast cancer patients need to be comprehensively evaluated and implemented,” said Ms. Hair.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    What? Teenagers prefer smart phones over sex!

    What? Teenagers prefer smart phones over sex!
    Teenagers are so touchy about their screens that they are willing to give up almost everything - even the pleasures of a sexual encounter - in exchange for their smart phones, a fascinating research has revealed.

    What? Teenagers prefer smart phones over sex!

    Alcohol does make you hunt for pretty faces!

    Alcohol does make you hunt for pretty faces!
    'Beer Goggle' is real. People become more attracted to the opposite sex after a few drinks and even a small amount of alcohol can shift your attention to gorgeous ladies.

    Alcohol does make you hunt for pretty faces!

    'Nuclear winter' wiped out dinosaurs 66 mn years ago: Study

    'Nuclear winter' wiped out dinosaurs 66 mn years ago: Study
    In a first physical evidence that a sudden dip in temperatures wiped out dinosaurs, a team of scientists has revealed that a massive asteroid hit the earth 66 million years ago, causing “nuclear winter” and the ultimate demise of giant animals.

    'Nuclear winter' wiped out dinosaurs 66 mn years ago: Study

    Soon, corns to grow in caves, mines

    Soon, corns to grow in caves, mines
    In view of growing concerns about genetically modified crops cross-contaminating other crops, scientists have now devised a way to grow dwarf corn stalks in caves and abandoned mines without affecting their yield.

    Soon, corns to grow in caves, mines

    Want to live long? Aim big in life

    Want to live long? Aim big in life
    Some may call you crazy if you reveal your lofty dreams and what you want to achieve in your life, but sooner you find a purpose in life, greater are your chances of living longer.

    Want to live long? Aim big in life

    Living heart tissue grown

    Living heart tissue grown
    In a first, scientists have merged stem cell and 'organ-on-a-chip' technologies to grow functioning human heart tissue carrying an inherited cardiovascular disease.

    Living heart tissue grown