CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 25 (UPI) -- Women with breast cancer are more likely to survive if they exercise as little as one hour a week, Harvard Medical School researchers say.
The study, reported the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, concludes breast cancer patients who walk or do other moderate exercise three to five hours a week are about 50 percent less likely to die than women who do little or no exercise.
Researchers said even women who exercise as little as an hour per week reduce their death risk.
"The most logical explanation is that physical activity lowers hormone levels, and the lower hormone levels reduce the chances of a recurrence," lead researcher Michelle Holmes told the Washington Post.
Breast cancer claims about 40,000 lives a year in the United States.
Harvard Medical School researchers said their study of nearly 3,000 U.S. nurses is the first research to show that exercise helps women improve their odds of beating cancer.
