Nearly 40,000 women die every year from breast cancer, and 180,000 will be newly diagnosed this year. But theres a simple way to lower your risk of death from this disease: exercise. Five hours a week of walking (or any moderate aerobic workout) reduces your risk by more than half, according to a new study from the University of South Carolina. And just 20 minutes a day cuts the risk by a third.
Researchers call their study, involving more than 14,000 women, the first to objectively connect fitness levels and the risk of dying from breast cancer. Will exercise cut your chances of getting the disease in the first place? Other studies say yes—by about 20%.