Exercise not only keeps you fit – it also could reduce your chances of developing breast cancer. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center speculate that a regular routine of brisk walking, swimming or bicycling may protect against breast cancer by lowering estrogen levels. They believe that estrogen may deactivate genes in breast tissue that suppress breast-cancer development. When estrogen silences these so-called tumor-suppressor genes by a process called methylation, which is reversible, the risk for breast cancer increases.
"So many of the risk factors for breast cancer cannot be modified, such as being a woman, getting older or having a family history," says Dr. Yvonne Coyle, a physician who researches the epidemiology of cancer. "However, physical activity may be a modifiable risk factor allowing for breast cancer risk reduction."
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