News: Running is best for breast cancer survival

Is running better than walking? When it comes to exercise for breast cancer survivors, yes.

A new long-term study shows that when breast cancer survivors run, versus walk, there is a significantly lower mortality rate.

The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that survivors that ran about 2.5 miles per day (about 3.5 km) had a 95 percent lower risk of dying from breast cancer than those that didn’t exercise at all.

The walkers breast cancer mortality, on the other hand, only decreased by five percent.

‘If I were a breast cancer survivor, I would certainly consider running or some other vigorous exercise over walking, and I wouldn’t just be doing the minimum, with the consequences and potential benefit being so great,’ study author Paul Williams said in a press release.

Don’t put away your walking shoes just yet. The study also points out that running and walking have a lot of the same health benefits for the same amount of energy expended – including weight loss and a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Do you prefer running or walking? Let us know in the comments section below!

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor

Related:
‘ 10 foods that fight breast cancer
‘ How to start running
‘ Yoga helps breast cancer patients heal