Research

Hormonal

Post-diagnosis engagement in moderate-intensity recreational physical activity (≥2.8 MET-h/wk) significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality in women with invasive breast cancer.

After a breast cancer diagnosis, engaging in moderate-intensity recreational physical activity (like brisk walking) for at least 2.8 MET-hours per week is associated with a significantly lower risk of dying from breast cancer. You do not need to perform vigorous exercise to gain these survival benefits; consistent, moderate movement is effective.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
women who engaged in greater levels of activity had a significantly lower risk of dying from breast cancer (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.39-1.08 for 2.8-7.9 MET-h/wk; HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.35-1.01 for 8.0-20.9 MET-h/wk; and HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.89 for ≥21.0 MET-h/wk; P for trend = 0.05).
Crystal N. Holick et al. · Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention · 2008

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (n=4,482) with multivariable adjustment, though observational design prevents causal certainty.

Source

Physical Activity and Survival after Diagnosis of Invasive Breast Cancer

Crystal N. Holick et al. · Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention · 2008

DOI 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-07-0771

cohort · n=4482Cited 489×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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