AEROBIC ANTIDOTE

We all know that exercise is beneficial for us in regards to living a healthy life. The benefits include relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, helping us to maintain healthy weight, better sleep and provide an over-all sense of well being. There is now an abundance of evidence to show that exercise is also beneficial to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Aerobic exercise causes beneficial breakdown and metabolizing of estrogen.

Traditionally cancer patients are told to rest as much as possible as a result of the lingering effects from radiation and chemotherapy. Scientists believe that hormones are the correlating factor between exercise and breast-cancer protection. Exercise naturally reduces estrogen, testosterone and growth factors which all may trigger breast cancer to grow rapidly. One of the functions of estrogen is to drive the rapid production of new cells in the breasts and uterus. So if one of these cells becomes damaged or cancerous, metastasis can then occur. Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming or biking positively influences the way a women's body breaks down estrogen to produce more of the 'good' metabolites that lower breast cancer risk.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer occuring in women

About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. People undergoing cancer treatment experience high levels of fatigue which can make exercising difficult. Another deterrent results from chemotherapy weakening the immune system thereby making someone more susceptible to germs in a health club environment. All of these factors can make exercising an ardous task.

Continuing research is evolving with the goal of understanding how physical activity impedes cancer before, during and after being treatment. Evidence has piled so high that an American College of Sports Medicine panel is revising their recommended guidelines for cancer survivors. Programs that promote breast cancer awareness further support this cause.