weight training improves the quality of life of women, who have recently been treated for breast cancer.
A new study that is to appear in the May 1, 2006 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society says that weight training improves the quality of life of women, who have recently been treated for breast cancer. A bi-weekly exercise regimen for six months improves the overall physical and emotional condition of the patients.
In the initial days after therapy for breast cancer, patients experience insomnia, weight gain, chronic fatigue, depression, and anxiety. The focus has mainly been on improving the quality of treatments fro breast cancer and thus these secondary complaints have been often overlooked. Tetsuya Ohira, M.D. of the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota and colleagues conducted the study to evaluate the efficacy of exercise in recently treated breast cancer patients. Eighty-six women within 36 months of treatment were randomly assigned to either a weight-training program or no exercise program. It was found that weight training improved the quality of life in women. "Changes in body composition and strength may empower these women with a sense of return to feeling in control of their bodies that may translate into feeling greater efficacy in other areas of life," the authors concluded.Article: "Effects of Weight Training on Quality of Life in Recent Breast Cancer Survivors. The Weight Training for Breast Cancer Survivors (WTBS) Study," Tetsuya Ohira, Kathryn H. Schmitz, Rehana L. Ahmed, Douglas Yee, CANCER; Published Online: March 27, 2006 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.21829); Print Issue Date: May 1, 2006. Contact: Amy Molnar [email protected] John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Source: Eurekalert
