Teen exercise may reduce risk of dying from cancer during adulthood in women

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

The amount of exercise women performed during their teenage years may have an impact on their risk of dying from cancer or other causes as adults, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from the Shanghai Women's Health Study that included and followed 75,000 women in Shanghai, China for over a decade. Data included lifestyle behaviors and mortality outcomes.

Results showed that women who had reported participating in exercise had reduced risks of death from cancer and other causes compared with those who had not exercised. Specifically, women who exercised for 1.33 hours a week or less were 16% less likely to have died from cancer than their non-exercising counterparts.

Researchers also found that women who participated in team sports as an adolescent had a 14% lower risk of death from cancer than those who did not participate in team sports.

The findings ultimately contribute to the growing evidence that exercise participation contributes to a reduced risk of dying from certain cancers.