Home → Day-to-Day Matters → Ask-The-Expert Conferences: Day-to-Day Matters → January 2006: Physical Activity and Breast Cancer → Exercise benefits differ for ER- vs. ER+?

Exercise benefits differ for ER- vs. ER+?

Page last modified on: July 17, 2009

Question from Crimson: How does the value of exercise differ if your breast cancer is estrogen-receptor-negative vs. positive?: Answer —Julie Gralow, M.D.: In the Nurses' Study, they did look at estrogen receptors. and there was a trend towards more benefit in the women whose cancers were ER-positive. This doesn't mean there was not benefit in the patients who had ER-negative cancers.

Interestingly, talking about healthy lifestyle in general, there was a very important nutrition study that was done in women within a year of their diagnosis of breast cancer. It was called the WINS Study (Women's Intervention Nutrition Study), and they randomized women to receive nutritional counseling that primarily focused on a low-calorie, low-fat diet vs. standard of care. The counseling was just every two weeks with some literature backup.

At one year they proved the women who had had the counseling were eating less fat and had gained less weight. At five years, the study showed there were fewer breast cancer recurrences in that group who had gotten the counseling on a healthy diet. In that study, when you broke out the estrogen-receptor-positive and negative cancers, the benefit of the nutritional counseling seemed greater in the ER-negative group. I'm not sure that makes sense, so there might be some other explanation. I just encourage all my patients, no matter what, to eat healthy and get some physical exercise. Until we get this all straightened out, I'll recommend that to all patients.

On Wednesday, January 18, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Physical Activity and Breast Cancer. Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., Julie Gralow, M.D., and moderator Judith Sachs answered your questions about the many issues related to physical activity and breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Miriam Nelson, Ph.D. is the author of the international best-sellers Strong Women Stay Young; Strong Women Stay Slim;Strong Women, Strong Bones; and other titles. She is Director of the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition and Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

Julie Gralow, M.D. is associate professor of medical oncology specializing in breast cancer at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and director of breast medical oncology at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

Judith Sachs is a health educator, writer, speaker, and former member of the Breastcancer.org editorial team.