London - Exercise can help breast cancer survivors live longer – but two out of three are doing too little, researchers say.
A large study found most women did not meet national guidelines for physical activity after their diagnosis.
Only 35 percent of breast cancer survivors were doing at least half an hour a day of moderate activity, says research published online in Cancer, an American Cancer Society journal.
Although the study was carried out in the US, British experts said survivors here need more support to increase and maintain exercise levels.
The study assessed physical activity in 1 735 women aged 20 to 74 before and after they were diagnosed with breast cancer. The team led by Brionna Hair, of the University of North Carolina, found almost two-thirds of women were less active six months after diagnosis than they had been before.
Miss Hair said ways of getting women active should be “comprehensively evaluated and implemented”.
In the UK, 50 000 women and 400 men develop breast cancer each year.
They are advised to do 150 minutes of moderate activity, such as gardening, dancing or brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, including running or aerobics, every week.
French research this year found exercising for an hour a day cut women’s risk of breast cancer by 11 percent. - Daily Mail