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Standardized Cup Sizes
Breast Size 32aa
Celebrity example Mena Suvari
Breast Size 34A
Celebrity example Audrey Hepburn
Breast Size 36B
Celebrity example Claudia Schiffer
Breast Size 34C
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Breast Size 40F
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Smith Breast Size EE
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Exercise linked to reduced breast cancer risk
Exercise linked to reduced breast
cancer risk
November 17, 2005
Both black women and white women who regularly exercise have a
decreased risk of breast cancer compared to women who do not
exercise, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine
of the University of Southern California.
Numerous studies have linked physical activity to lower breast
cancer risk in white women, but the Keck School study-published in
the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer
Institute-extends the finding to black women.
"A growing body of evidence has linked recreational activity to
lowered breast cancer risk, but we really haven't known whether
that lowered risk applies to all subgroups of the population," says
study lead author Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D.
, AFLAC Chair in Cancer
Research and professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School.
"This study indicates that exercise may be just as much a
modifiable risk factor among black women as it is among white
women."
Bernstein and her colleagues conducted the Women's Contraceptive
and Reproductive Experiences, or CARE, Study, a National Institutes
of Health-supported project. Researchers interviewed 4,538 black
women and white women between ages 35 and 64 who had been diagnosed
with invasive breast cancer in the mid-1990s, and matched them to
4,649 women without breast cancer.
The multi-center, case-control
study had sites in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Philadelphia and
Detroit.
The researchers asked the women about a variety of
lifestyle factors that might
influence breast cancer risk, such as smoking habits, alcohol
consumption, age at first menstruation, number of pregnancies, use
of oral contraceptives, and more. They also asked about the types
of physical activities women participated in for at least an hour
at week for at least four months a year-going back as far as age
10, to develop a lifetime measure of each woman's exercise
activity. Popular activities included walking, aerobics and
cycling.
Of the 4,538 women with breast cancer, 1,132 (about 25 percent)
reported no exercise activity since age 10. Of the 4,649 women who
had not had breast cancer, 1,083 (about 23 percent) reported no
exercise activity since age 10.
When researchers compared women who exercised to those who did
not, they found that women exercising at least 1.3 hours a week on
average since age 10 had about a 20 percent lower risk of breast
cancer than women who were inactive.
This relationship held true
for both black women and white women. Researchers saw the
relationship even after controlling for other factors such as body
mass index and reproductive history. However, physical activity did
not decrease breast cancer risk among women who had a family
history of breast cancer, suggesting that hereditary factors might
interfere with or overpower the beneficial effects of exercise.
Epidemiologists have sought to understand whether exercise is
more beneficial at certain ages than others; however, researchers
in the Women's CARE Study did not find any particular time of
life when physical activity had
a greater influence on breast cancer risk.
Bernstein says that researchers have proposed several mechanisms
under which exercise might lower breast cancer risk.
For one, studies among serious athletes and recreational
athletes show that exercise activity can lower levels of female
hormones circulating in the blood, particularly estrogen and
progesterone. This is particularly apparent during adolescence and
early adult years. Even postmenopausal women who exercise may have
lower estrogen levels.
Researchers believe that higher circulating
levels of female hormones may raise breast cancer risk by
stimulating breast cells to divide and multiply.
Women who exercise regularly also appear to be more sensitive to
insulin and have lower levels of insulin in their blood. Higher
concentrations of insulin in the blood may result in higher levels
of female hormones. In addition, women who exercise are more likely
to maintain normal body weight; excess fat is thought to contribute
to greater circulating levels of female hormones and
insulin-related hormones.
"Unfortunately, black women in the study were more likely than
white women to be inactive," Bernstein says. "Physical activity not
only appears to be associated with lower breast cancer risk, but
has other widely known health benefits, reducing the risk of
cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Increasing activity among
black women may be an area of potential intervention for better
health."
University of Southern California
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