Soccer vs Breast Cancer

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal carried an interesting article on how diet and exercise in young girls effects their health later in life. Most women start worrying about breast cancer in their 40's. But a growing body of evidence suggests that the risk for breast cancer is often determined much earlier in life. Cellular changes that can lead to cancer likely begin in childhood when breast tissue is first developing. What is increasingly clear according to the article, is that health decisions that parents make in regards to their children's diet and exercise in the pre-school and pre-adolecent years have the potential to dramatically alter their risks of breast cancer later in life.

Understanding the link involves having a better understanding of how breast issue develops. During early childhood, breast tissue is dormant until the pituitary gland and ovaries begin to produce hormones and estrogen. The rapid changes in breast tissue that occurs in adolecense creates a vulnerability window for early cancers to develop. As a result, behaviors early in life can have a major impact on one's lifetime risk of cancer.

Here are some basic tips from the article:

Limit Junk Food - Some research indicates that diet can have an impact on cancer risk later in life. In February, a Harvard study showed that women who ate french fries for lunch had a 27% higher risk for breast cancer. Studies also suggest that an increase in soy intake can also have beneficial effects on cancer risks.

Encourage Exercise - Exercise early in life tends to decrease a girl's hormone levels. Lower levels of body fat also limit the production of estrogen. The delay in the onset of puberty limits the time that breast tissue is vulnerable. The benefits of exercise extend into and past the teen years. According to a Harvard study that researched breast cancer risk in 5,400 former college athletes and non-athletes, the cancer risk for the athletes was 40% lower than that of non-athletes.

Experts say that exercises with a metabolic intensity of 6.0 or above are best for lowering breast cancer risk. Here are the "met levels" for some basic activities.

In-Line Skating - 12.5
Jumping Rope - 10.0
Tennis - 8.0
Soccer - 7.0
Lap Swimming 7.0
Bicycling - 6.0
Basketball - 6.0
Softball - 5.0