This weekend I'm participating in the North Mississippi Komen for the Cure 5K. I've set myself a goal for five 5Ks this year. I've completed one for lung cancer, melanoma and a non-cancer related event for good measure (Habitat for Humanity). I'm considering finishing up the year doing one for St. Jude's in Memphis. By participating in the Komen race this Saturday, I'm raising awareness of breast cancer. But more importantly, I'm doing something to help prevent it. I'm exercising. A study recently presented at the AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research found that exercise reduces the chance of developing invasive breast cancer (Physical Activity Cuts Risk for Invasive Breast Cancer). We've heard this before, but this is one of the largest trials to study the effect. It appears that exercise has the biggest impact in postmenopausal women and hormone-positive breast cancers. Like everything else, there are still other factors that play into breast cancer development, of course. Some of the fittest people I know have had breast cancer. But if it helps to reduce that risk and it comes with added benefits, why not?
