(NaturalHealth365) One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. alone, that’s 12% of the female population.  Apart from lung cancer, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women today.

However, breaking new research has unveiled the simple activity that anyone can do pre- and post-cancer to reduce breast cancer death and return rates.

The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and surveyed the patient’s lifestyle habits before and after their breast cancer diagnosis. The results they found in high-risk stage 2, and 3 cancer patients were shocking!

They discovered that patients who undertook a straightforward activity for 30 minutes per day increased their chances of survival of over 50%.

Research reveals the activity that reduced breast cancer death by 68%

The study analyzed 2,716 high-risk breast cancer patients; 1,607 responded to the survey, which involved questions on lifestyle habits. The survey asked questions about lifestyle, including exercise, before, during, and after chemotherapy treatment.

The simple activity that had an incredible impact on both breast cancer survival and recurrence was exercise.

The patients who met the federal guidelines for exercise had a 68% reduction in death rates compared to the high-risk patients who did not exercise beforehand. These same patients also benefited from a 55% reduction in breast cancers returning.

The evidence is clear: those who exercise for as little as 30 minutes per day are more likely to survive.

Reducing breast cancer in patients who haven’t exercised precancer

The benefits received for those who had lived an active lifestyle precancer are undeniable. What about those who already have cancer?

It still isn’t too late to make positive changes. The study revealed that patients who began exercising post-cancer treatment had a 43% reduction in death risk compared to those who did not start exercising.

Furthermore, those who engaged in consistent, weekly exercise had a 46% decrease in breast cancer recurrences. Considering that high-risk breast cancers have the highest rate of return in patients, these results are truly remarkable.

Beginning exercise can be a challenging behavioral change, but you can receive the benefits today with just a small amount of weekly movement. The study lead, Rikki Cannioto, said, “Aiming for as little as two and half hours a week of exercise – the minimum under federal guidelines – can have a big impact for women with high-risk breast cancer.”

Start exercising today: The best type and length of exercise

If you don’ enjoy exercise or if you simply don’t have the energy, we have good news for you. Cannioto said, “It’s never too late to start walking, doing yoga, cycling, or swimming – and that activity certainly appears to pay off.”

As you have seen from the results, you don’t even have to meet the CDC guidelines to receive lifesaving results. Here are some simple suggestions that are proven to reduce breast cancer return and death rates.

Just 30 minutes of yoga will not only benefit your breast cancer journey, but it will also alleviate stress.

Cancer is a stressful journey for anyone, and the hormones that fire while under stress aren’t helpful to your recovery. There are many forms of yoga for varying ability levels that you can do at home or in a studio.

A comfortable place to start for those who don’t partake in any exercise at all is walking. Thirty minutes of walking per day will raise your heart rate into the fat-burning zone which does wonders for your body. Over time, you can progress to walking uphill for more of a challenge.

The cancer journey is isolating and incredibly detrimental to your mental health. Some social exercises are dance classes, a sport that you may have enjoyed in younger years, or join your local swim center.

A word of caution: Obesity is already proven to make breast cancer cells more aggressive in the body. Breast cancer rates in men are also rising with an expected diagnosis of 2,620 cases in 2020.  So, everyone must take charge of their health today and just 30 minutes of exercise daily is a great place to start.

Sources for this article include:

Medicalxpress.com
Academic.oup.com
Breastcancer.org
CDC.gov