After a breast cancer, overweight women should be physically active to reduce the risk of recurrence, according to results of a study published in the journal Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Researchers at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute in New York followed 100 women who survived a breast cancer who received treatment less than six months before participating in the study. Half of the participants were obese and 77% had developed a metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome refers to all the physiological signs: low level of “good” cholesterol, obesity, accumulation of fat on the stomach, high blood pressure, blood sugar disorders (diabetes, prediabetes), high triglyceride levels. These symptoms can cause diabetes, cardiovascular problems, or Stroke.
“A lot of people don’t know that the leading cause of death in breast cancer survivors is heart disease, not cancer,” says Dr. Christina Dieli-Conwright, lead author of the study.
To establish the benefits of physical activity on the risk of recurrence, these women followed three weekly sports sessions for four months. They participated in resistance exercise with weights and moderate intensity aerobic exercise.
Physical activity for a normal life expectancy
The results of the study showed that women who developed metabolic syndrome had a 17% increased risk of developing breast cancer, and three times more likely to have the cancer recurring, with twice the risk. to die of it.
Researchers have observed that patients who have gone through chemotherapy become sedentary even after treatment is over. However, women who eat a healthy, balanced diet and exercise are more likely to have a normal life expectancy.
“At the end of the four months, the metabolic syndrome of athletic women improved significantly with a rate that overall fell to 15% against 80% for non-active women,” explain the authors of the study. “Athletes have lost fat, gained muscle mass and reduced their risk of cardiac disease, reports the study. Moreover, the blood pressure fell by 10% and blood levels of “good” cholesterol(HDL) increased by 50% ”.
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