Exercise Helps Reduce Estrogen Levels for breast cancer survivors

Exercise Helps Reduce Estrogen Levels for breast cancer survivors

The results of over two dozen epidemiologic studies on exercise and estrogen
levels show us that women who exercise regularly have a reduced risk of developing
breast cancer (see, for example, Campbell and McTiernan 2007). Moreover, a 2002
study (Chlebowski, Aiello, and McTiernan) assessed the direct effect of exercise on
estrogen levels and found that women who exercised and lost more than 2 percent of
their initial body fat had a 14 percent decrease in estradiol levels. Is it the loss of body
fat or the exercise itself that reduced estrogen levels in this study of postmenopausal
women? The results don’t tell us, but we do know that both a healthy weight and
healthy estrogen levels are essential to managing breast-cancer risk. If exercise can
accomplish one or both of these goals, we’re in good shape!

Think Before You Drink

Steering clear of excess alcohol intake is important, because the same liver
enzymes that break down alcohol are also used to clear estrogen. What’s more, excess
alcohol consumption is linked to higher estrogen levels (Seitz and Maurer 2007).