Housework can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women

by Dr. Paul Cribb Ph.D. CSCS.
AST Director of Research

A report on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries has concluded that doing household chores is a strategy that may protect against breast cancer.

Interestingly, performing housework was far more cancer-protective than playing sport or having a physically demanding job.

Experts have long known that physical exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer, probably through hormonal and metabolic changes. But it’s less clear how much and what types of exercise are necessary to reduce this risk.

This study looked at both pre- and post-menopausal women and a range of activities, including work, leisure and housework. The women were studied over an average of 6.4 years, during which time there were 3,423 cases of breast cancer.

Of all of the activities, only housework significantly reduced the risk of both pre- and post-menopausal women getting the disease. Housework cut breast cancer risk by 30% among the pre-menopausal women and 20% among the post-menopausal women.

The women spent an average of 16 to 17 hours a week cooking, cleaning and doing the washing. The researchers concluded that something as simple and inexpensive as doing the housework can help protect women against breast cancer.

Guys, if you place this report under the nose of your "significant other" keep me out of it!

Source: The journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, Feb, 2007.