3 ways that running could protect you against breast cancer

From training for a marathon to a jog around your neighborhood, running boosts your well-being in many ways—including lowering your risk for certain types of cancer.

There’s growing evidence that regular exercise plays a crucial role in breast cancer prevention, especially after menopause. Specifically, one study found that women who were considered “most physically active” had a 12–21% lower breast cancer risk than the women who were “least physically active.”

While the exact link between activities like running and breast cancer risk is still being studied, regular exercise may be beneficial because of its positive effect on factors like weight, estrogen levels and metabolic functions in the body.

3 ways your run might be reducing your breast cancer risk

1. Keeping a healthy weight

Together with diet, running is a great way to help you maintain a healthy weight, which could lower your risk of breast cancer. Studies have shown that gaining weight, specifically the timing of weight gain, could lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Postmenopausal weight gain is common, and the risk of breast cancer is higher in women after menopause who gained weight. But this increased risk doesn’t hold true for women who are overweight or obese before they reach menopause.

2. Managing estrogen levels

Running and its benefits for reducing body fat could also have an impact on your estrogen levels as you age. If you haven’t reached menopause, your ovaries make most of the estrogen your body needs. But with menopause, this changes. The amount of estrogen your ovaries make declines, and the rest of the estrogen in your body comes from your fat tissue.

For postmenopausal women who have a higher body fat percentage, this could mean higher levels of estrogen, promoting the growth of certain types of breast cancer that feed off hormones. By reducing your fat tissue through exercise, you can better manage your hormone levels, potentially lowering your risk.

3. Improving metabolic health

When you don’t exercise regularly or are overweight, it can contribute to hyperinsulinemia or insulin resistance, increasing your breast cancer risk. Insulin resistance can also lead to increased inflammation in the body, which might contribute to breast cancer, too.

Running and regular exercise help prevent high levels of insulin in your blood, reduce your risk of developing metabolic syndrome and lower inflammation. All of these factors may lead to a decreased risk of some cancers, including breast cancer.

Every step matters for your breast cancer risk

No matter what type of running you enjoy or where you are in your health journey, it’s important to know that every step counts. Running for regular exercise can benefit any woman—whether you want to prevent cancer or have already had breast cancer and want to reduce the chance of it coming back.

For breast cancer prevention and recurrence reduction, follow the exercise recommendations from the American Cancer Society—any combination of 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week. You may get your minutes by training for a marathon. But several short runs, walks or activities that slowly add up over the week are great, too.

The most important thing for breast cancer prevention is to find a physical activity that works for you and keep going. With a focus on a healthy lifestyle through exercise, you have the power to stay in control of your breast cancer risk.

This article was written by Kristi Evans, Antoinette Geren and Amanda Mcgreevy, breast patient navigators at the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center, who partner with people and families through every step of cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

Want to know more about breast cancer prevention or support? Connect with more resources through the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth.