Exercise can help recovery after breast cancer diagnosis, according to a recent study, BBC News has reported.
Researchers have reportedly found that most breast cancer patients do not meet national physical activity guidelines after they have been diagnosed, according to the University Herald.
"Despite compelling evidence demonstrating the benefits of physical activity after a diagnosis of breast cancer, it is clear that more work needs to be done to promote physical activity in patients with breast cancer, especially among African-American women," stated Brionna Hair of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to MedPage Today.
African-American women were about 40% less likely to meet national physical activity guidelines post-diagnosis, although the reported weekly post-diagnosis physical activity was not significantly different from that of White women.
The study, which was conducted at the University of North Carolina, was published in the journal Cancer after surveying 1,735 U.S. women aged 20-74 who were diagnosed with breast cancer from 2008-2011, according to the publication RTT News.
Guidelines set by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services recommend that adults engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week.
Only 35% of the study's population met these goals.
The American Cancer Society recommends beginning a routine in a supervised setting with a cancer exercise trainer or physical therapist.
"Medical care providers should discuss the role physical activity plays in improving breast cancer outcomes with their patients, and strategies that may be successful in increasing physical activity among breast cancer patients need to be comprehensively evaluated and implemented," stated Hair.
