Exercising reduces breast cancer risk

Gear up for some physical exercise sessions as the risk of breast cancer may go up by 210 percent in obese and overweight women with a certain genetic marker, said a study. Weight loss is likely a good way to reduce breast cancer risk in general, said Ting-Yuan David Cheng from Roswell Park Cancer Institute in the US.

White women with the genetic marker were nearly 70 percent more likely to have breast cancer compared to those without the marker, the study found. The marker is found within a gene called mTOR, which is involved in cell growth and blood-vessel formation. The gene can be active by excess energy intake, or taking in more calories than one needs, Cheng said.

Being overweight or obese may promote breast cancer through variations in this gene, said the researchers. The study involved about 1,300 white women and 1,300 black women.

The study found that a marker within the mTOR gene increased the risk of breast cancer for white women, but not for black women, suggesting that the effect of this marker varies by ethnicity, LiveScience reported.

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