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Exercise's effect on biomarkers?

Page last modified on: October 16, 2008
Question from SuesMom: Dr. Irwin, I saw that you've published on the effect of exercise on breast cancer biomarkers and the influence of physical activity on obesity. How much exercise is recommended to influence the effect on biomarkers, and what does that mean?
Answer —Melinda Irwin, Ph.D., M.P.H.: A biomarker, or biological marker, is a surrogate marker of breast cancer risk or prognosis. So in studies where we can't follow women or we don't have enough time to follow them until some have a recurrence, we'll look at biomarkers that are related to recurrence, for example. Some biomarkers are body fat, estrogen, and insulin. So what we do is look at the effect of exercise on these biomarkers and if we see a favorable change, for example in insulin and we know insulin is highly related to recurrence and death, then we can assume exercise may be as well. Research is ongoing to answer the question about how much exercise is enough. Currently, the recommended amount is 30 minutes, 5 days per week of moderate intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking. However, if you're currently doing that, increasing the intensity or duration is recommended.

On Wednesday, April 18, 2007, the Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Weight Management During and After Breast Cancer Treatment. Cyndi Thomson, Ph.D., R.D. and Melinda Irwin Ph.D., M.P.H. answered your questions on managing weight during and after breast cancer treatment.

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

Cyndi Thomson, Ph.D., R.D.Cyndi Thomson, Ph.D., R.D. is an associate professor in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Arizona - with joint appointments in medicine and public health.

Melinda Irwin, Ph.D., M.P.H. is an assistant professor in the department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine.

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