Get Your Teen Daughters Moving Now to Prevent Breast Cancer Later

It turns out that all the running, walking and aerobics I did throughout my teen years may actually help protect me from developing breast cancer now that I'm older.

While most studies have found that middle-aged women should exercise to reduce their chances of getting breast cancer after menopause, a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has found that starting young can pay off too.

Researchers found that girls who were physically active beginning around 12 years old and continued working out through young adulthood were 23 percent less likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer compared to their sedentary counterparts.

Premenopausal breast cancer accounts for 25 percent of all breast cancer diagnosis, which is usually more aggressive.

Cancer researchers speculate that early, moderate exercise may have a minimal, but beneficial effect on hormone levels.

While the study only looked at preventing premenopausal breast cancer, the lead study author is hopeful that exercising early in life may even ward off postmenopausal breast cancer.

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