Post-menopausal women'at greater cancer risk'

Women who have been through the menopause and who are also overweight are at greater risk of developing breast cancer, one sector commentator has claimed.


Pamela Goldberg, chief executive of the Breast Cancer Campaign, said regular physical exercise, such as walking, swimming, golf or gentle cycling, can help to prevent weight gain and can also boost energy levels.


She added that this promotes general wellbeing, in addition to reducing the risk of a number of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and breast cancer.

"It is debatable how easy it is for some older women to achieve this level of activity and we should not forget that there are still positive health benefits to consistent moderate activity," Ms Goldberg explained.


The report, 'Prospective study of physical activity and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer', published in Breast Cancer Research, revealed that there was an inverse association between physical activity and postmenopausal breast cancer.


It was shown that risk reduction appeared to be limited to vigorous forms of activity.


According to Cancer Research UK, breast cancer incidence rates have increased by more than 50 per cent over the last twenty-five years.



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