Doing Household tasks can cut Breast cancer risks

Many previous studies have suggested that physical activities like walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, skipping, etc. are in many ways beneficial for the physical as well as mental well being of an individual.

Now, a new study added one more notion to the array of health related benefits, suggesting woman who do the household tasks like dusting, mopping and vacuuming can reduce their risk of breast cancer better than playing sport.

Most of the past studies have examined the link between exercise and breast cancer in post-menopausal women only. Although, experts have long known that physical activities can minimize the risk of breast cancer, but they were not clear about the duration and the types of exercise, required for risk reduction.

Contrary to the earlier studies, the new research has included pre- as well as a large number of pro-menopausal women.

In their study, funded by Cancer Research UK, the scientists studied 218,169 women, aged 20 to 80, from nine European countries. They looked at a range of activities - including work, leisure and housework.

After observing the subjects for an average of 6.4 years the researchers found that pre-menopausal women who spent an average 17.7 hours a week on housework were 30 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who did none, while post-menopausal women who spent 16.1 hours a week on household tasks were 20 per cent less likely to develop the disease than their counterparts who did none.

The study published in the January edition of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, concluded that all women, both pre- and post-menopausal, who undertook the housework had considerably reduced risk of getting the disease.

During the research period 3,423 cases of breast cancer emerged. The disease was mainly developed in those pre-menopausal women, who were 47.6 years of age and in pre-menopausal women, who were 65.6 years of age.

'This study suggests that being physically active may also help reduce the risk and that something as simple and cheap as doing the housework can help,' said Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information.

Rate of breast cancer incidence has been increasing significantly in every age group in the UK. Nearly 44,100 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the UK every year and an average 12,400 women die from the disease.