Can Exercise Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

Physical activity and weight management can minimize your chances of getting the disease

When it comes to the benefits of regular exercise, here’s one you might not realize: Exercising can reduce your risk of developing breast cancer — and that’s a fact that’s especially true as you age.

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Research consistently shows the protective effect of physical activity when it comes to breast cancer. A review of 73 studies found an average risk reduction of 25% for those who work to stay fit.

And if you do get breast cancer, regular exercise before and after the diagnosis minimizes the chances of a recurrence or a deadly outcome.

Need more incentive to start a regular workout routine? Then let’s take a closer look at the relationship between exercise and breast health with oncologists Halle Moore, MD, and Tiffany Onger, MD.

How exercise lowers breast cancer risk

Weight management is a definite perk of physical activity — which brings us to how exercise minimizes breast cancer risk, particularly for postmenopausal women.

Studies show that carrying extra pounds or having obesity brings a significant increase in breast cancer risk for women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) after menopause. One study showed that a 20-pound weight gain during menopause led to an 18% higher risk of breast cancer.

A variety of factors, including decreases in estrogen production and a slower metabolism, make weight gain common during menopause.

“Being in a higher weight category increases your risk for breast cancer as you age,” says Dr. Onger. “If you’re carrying more fat within your body can affect hormones that are circulating and the growth of cancer cells.”

So, if you reduce body fat (particularly in your midsection), you also reduce your risk of breast cancer. In fact, one study found that losing four to 20 pounds lowered breast cancer risk by 10% to 15%. A 20-pound drop in weight lowered the risk by about 25%.

How much exercise do you need?

Health experts generally recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. That’s a 30-minute activity five days a week. (To put the workout in perspective, at “moderate” intensity you should be able to carry on a conversation without gasping for breath.)

But when it comes to warding off breast cancer, researchers say more exercise may be even better, adds Dr. Moore.

A 2015 study showed that exercising for 300 minutes a week ­— which amounts to five one-hour activity periods a week — led to larger decreases in body fat and a subsequent drop in breast cancer risk.