Thursday's Psychology Trivia: Is there a Connextion Between Girls, Sports & Breast Cancer?

Thought for the Day: It is already Thursday and time for another psychology trivia question:

True or False: Girls active in sports during adolescence and young adulthood are 20% less likely to get breast cancer later in life.

What do you think?

The answer is true. In fact, women who exercise regularly from their teens to about age 40 can reduce their risk by up t0 60% depending on the frequency of exercising. Bernstein et al, 1194, found that 1 to 3 hours of exercise a week over a woman’s reproductive years (teens to around age 40) may bring a 20-30% reduction in the risk of breast cancer, while 4 or more hours of exercise a week can reduce the risk almost 60% (Bernstein et al, 1994) (1).

Unfortunately, girls are suffering even more from the budgetary cuts to sports programs in schools than boys, since there are less programs for them in high schools and colleges. Not developing healthy exercise habits may change their life expectancy significantly. There are many more health benefits for women related to exercise. If you would like to know more about this important subject, take a at The Women’s Sports Foundation Report: Her Life Depends On It: Sport, Physical Activity and the Health and Well-Being of American Girls.

(1) Bernstein, L., Henderson, B., Hanisch, R., Sullivan-Halley, J., and Ross, R. (1994). “Physical exercise and reduced risk of breast cancer in young women.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 86: 1403-1408.