Physically inactive women have 34 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer

Saturday, June 25, 2016 by: Isabelle Z.
Tags: ovarian cancer, prevention, physical activity

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(NaturalNews) Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all of the gynecological cancers. With the CDC reporting that it is the eighth most common cancer to strike women, and the fifth leading cancer-related cause of death in women, we should be doing all that we can to reduce our chances of getting it.

The good news is that cutting your risk is relatively easy. Researchers in Buffalo have found that physical inactivity can increase a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer by 34 percent. While previous studies looking into whether physical activity could prevent ovarian cancer were inconsistent, this study into the flip-side of the question – if a lack of exercise boosts risks – yielded much stronger and more conclusive results.

Dr. Kirsten Moysich of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, a distinguished oncology professor and senior author of the study, noted that she has not been this excited about study results in a long time.

She stated: "What we found, is that it is not OK to do nothing. Physical inactivity over a lifetime increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer and makes it more likely you will die if you get it."

The study was published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarker & Prevention journal. It entailed an evaluation of nine prior studies, involving more than 8,000 ovarian cancer patients, along with more than 12,000 women who did not have cancer.

The findings seem to back up a 2009 study that found that obesity was linked to a nearly 80 percent higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. That study explained that extra body mass after menopause boosts the production of estrogen, which could stimulate ovarian cell growth and thereby spur the development of this disease.

Surprisingly low amount of activity can make a difference

You don't have to take up residence at the gym to experience the benefits. The researchers found that even a moderate amount of exercise, like taking your dog for a walk, or choosing the stairs over the elevator, is enough to reduce your risk.

Dr. Moysich said that getting up from your desk at work to walk around a bit, or parking your car in the furthest space in a parking lot would be sufficient.

Other ways to reduce your risk

Because there are no routine screening tests for the disease or obvious early signs of it, prevention is of the utmost importance when it comes to ovarian cancer. Besides getting up off the sofa, how else can you reduce your risk?

Cut out the processed meat. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that women whose diets were high in meat and fat were 50 percent more likely to develop this type of cancer than women who did not eat very much meat. Processed meat was connected with a significant increase in risk (20 percent), while frequently eating fish or poultry was linked with a reduced risk of getting ovarian cancer (10 to 15 percent).

Sip on some green tea. A study that followed more than 61,000 women over the course of 15 years, discovered that those who drank one cup of green tea every day had a 24 percent lower risk of developing the disease, while those who drank two or more cups had a 46 percent lower risk. The antioxidants in green tea are likely behind these stellar results.

If you don't want to find yourself among the 22,280 new cases of ovarian cancer that are projected for this year by the American Cancer Society, start finding ways to incorporate more activity into your day, cut out the processed meat and reach for the green tea. In addition, the Natural Cancer Prevention Summit is a great resource for people who are looking for natural ways to prevent this and other types of cancer.

Sources include:

BuffaloNews.com

OvarianCancer.org

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

CDC.gov

Cancer.org

Science.NaturalNews.com