Weight Lifting Could Help Breast Cancer Survivors Remain Physically Fit and Healthier
Survivors of breast cancer can use weight lifting to help them keep healthy, maintain the physical fitness that is required to carry out daily physical activities and live their lives more independently, a new research study at the University of Pennsylvania has revealed. This can also help them avoid falls, bone breakages, physical disabilities and even premature deaths.
Compared to other people, breast cancer survivors are also at a higher risk of developing the condition known as frailty, which is characterized by diminished strength in muscles, weakened bones and becoming exhausted fast.
The latest research study, whose findings were reported in the July 1st publication of the medical Journal of Clinical Oncology, involved data collected from the PAL (Physical Activity and Lymphedema) trial to examine the effect of gradually increased weight lifting on the general physical function of breast cancer survivors. Originally, this trial was developed to test the safety of weight lifting for breast cancer survivors facing high risks of lymphedema -- a severe swelling of the arms that often comes after treatment. The outcome was positive.
All the 295 women volunteers who were involved in this research had not spread (metastasized), with 148 of them taking part in a gradually progressive weight lifting exercise two times per week for one year while the remaining 147 acted as the control group. While 8.1% of women in the weight lifting group (12/148) had lost physical function by the end of the study period, double that number -- i.e. 24/147 representing 16.3% -- had experienced the same effect in the control group. In this research, a 10-point reduction on a scale that was derived from a questionnaire was used to define loss of physical function. The outcome of this study is significant because every 10-point reduction in physical function could lead to a rise in risk of premature death for survivors of breast cancer by up to 6%.
According to the authors of the research study, while their findings indicate a need for weight lifting to be made part of the physical therapy prescribed for survivors of breast cancer, further research will be required to prove whether other kinds of physical exercise such as walking or jogging can be used to accomplish similar health benefits.
.png "English"){kind=small}
0 komentari:
Post a Comment