A recent study suggests that regular physical activity combined with good night's sleep can lower a woman’s overall risk breast and colon cancers. Those sleeping less than seven hours a night loose the benefits of exercise.
© AFP/File Mike NelsonNovember 17, 2008, (Sawf News) - A recent study suggests that regular physical activity combined with good night's sleep can lower a woman’s overall risk breast and colon cancers.
“Greater participation in physical activity has consistently been associated with reduced risk of cancer incidence at several sites, including breast and colon cancers,” said James McClain, Ph.D., cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute and lead author of the study. “Short duration sleep appears to have opposing effects of physical activity on several key hormonal and metabolic parameters, which is why we looked at how it affected the exercise/cancer risk relationship.”
Even though the exact mechanism of how exercise reduces cancer risk isn’t known, researchers believe that physical activity’s effects on factors including hormone levels, immune function, and body weight may play an important role. The study examined the link between exercise and cancer risk, paying special attention to whether or not getting adequate sleep further affected a women’s cancer risk.
Researchers assessed 5,968 women at least 18 years old for nearly 10 years. The results pointed to a sleep-exercise link.
“Current findings suggest that sleep duration modifies the relationship between physical activity and all-site cancer risk among young and middle-aged women,” James said.
Out of those 5,968 women, 604 experienced a first incidence of cancer, including 186 breast cancer cases. Women in the upper 50 percent of PAEE showed significantly reduced risk of overall cancer and breast cancer. Among women 65 or younger when surveyed and in the upper half of PAEE, sleeping less than seven hours a day increased overall cancer risk, negating much of the protective effects of physical activity on cancer risk for this group.
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