7 hours/week of moderate-to-vigorous activity during the past 10 years was associated with 16% reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer (RR:0.84; 95%CI:0.76,0.93) compared with inactivity. The association remained statistically significant after adjustment for BMI (RR:0.87; 95%CI:0.78,0.96). Neither moderate-to-vigorous activity during other periods of life nor light intensity activity during any period of life was related to breast cancer risk, and associations did not vary by tumor characteristics. Conclusion A high level of recent, but not historical, physical activity of moderate-to-vigorous intensity is associated with reduced postmenopausal breast cancer risk. More precise recall of recent physical activity than activity in the distant past is one possible explanation for our findings."/>
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Table 6 Multivariate adjusted relative risk (RR)* and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of light physical activity during four periods of life with breast cancer tumor characteristics: 118,899 postmenopausal women in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study

From: Intensity and timing of physical activity in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer risk: the prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study

Light activity ER-
positive
†RR 		95%
CI 		ER-
negative
RR 		95%
CI 		p†† ER-
unknown
RR 		95%
CI 		p§ Invasive
RR 		95%
CI 		In
situ
RR 		95%
CI 		p£
Ages 15-18 years                   
   Never/Rarely 1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)    
   <1 hour/week 0.99 0.75 1.29 1.03 0.56 1.90   1.28 1.03 1.60   1.14 0.97 1.35 0.90 0.63 1.27  
   1-3 hours/week 0.97 0.78 1.21 1.07 0.65 1.74   1.10 0.91 1.33   1.04 0.91 1.20 1.06 0.81 1.39  
   4-7 hours/week 1.06 0.86 1.31 1.11 0.68 1.81   1.13 0.94 1.36   1.10 0.96 1.26 0.99 0.75 1.30  
   >7 hours/week 1.09 0.89 1.33 1.02 0.64 1.62 0.79 1.13 0.95 1.35 0.90 1.10 0.97 1.26 0.81 0.62 1.06 0.03
Ages 19-29 years                   
   Never/Rarely 1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)    
   <1 hour/week 1.20 0.88 1.66 0.88 0.41 1.87   1.09 0.82 1.46   1.12 0.91 1.37 1.48 0.94 2.32  
   1-3 hours/week 1.11 0.85 1.45 0.91 0.50 1.66   1.05 0.83 1.33   1.06 0.89 1.26 1.38 0.94 2.04  
   4-7 hours/week 1.00 0.77 1.31 1.04 0.59 1.86   1.17 0.93 1.48   1.09 0.92 1.29 1.31 0.90 1.92  
   >7 hours/week 0.99 0.77 1.27 1.04 0.59 1.86 0.99 1.14 0.91 1.42 0.00 1.06 0.90 1.25 1.15 0.79 1.66 0.91
Ages 35-39 years                   
   Never/Rarely 1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)    
   <1 hour/week 1.07 0.77 1.50 1.14 0.46 2.84   1.21 0.90 1.65   1.15 0.92 1.43 1.26 0.80 1.99  
   1-3 hours/week 1.07 0.81 1.41 1.48 0.70 3.13   1.17 0.91 1.52   1.15 0.95 1.38 1.17 0.80 1.73  
   4-7 hours/week 0.91 0.69 1.19 1.44 0.69 3.00   1.12 0.87 1.44   1.04 0.87 1.25 1.07 0.73 1.57  
   >7 hours/week 0.89 0.68 1.16 1.48 0.72 3.02 0.20 1.20 0.94 1.53 0.18 1.08 0.91 1.28 0.94 0.65 1.37 0.52
Past 10 years                   
   Never/Rarely 1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)     1.00 (ref.)    1.00 (ref.)    
   <1 hour/week 1.20 0.86 1.69 0.35 0.14 0.92   1.24 0.94 1.64   1.14 0.93 1.41 1.50 0.95 2.38  
   1-3 hours/week 1.06 0.80 1.41 1.04 0.59 1.86   1.00 0.79 1.27   1.03 0.86 1.22 1.35 0.91 2.02  
   4-7 hours/week 1.19 0.90 1.57 0.94 0.53 1.66   1.11 0.88 1.40   1.12 0.95 1.33 1.24 0.83 1.84  
   >7 hours/week 0.92 0.70 1.22 0.80 0.45 1.40 0.65 1.07 0.85 1.35 0.53 0.99 0.84 1.17 1.11 0.75 1.63 0.61
No. cancer cases** 1352    263     1907     3522    736    
  1. * Relative risks adjusted for: age (continuous); race/ethnicity (white, black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian); education level (<12 years or high school equivalent, 12 years or high school equivalent, post-high school vocational or technical training, some college, college graduate, post-graduate); smoking status (non-smoker, former, current); alcohol intake (grams/day, quintiles adjusted for total energy intake); family history of breast cancer (no, yes); age at menarche (<13, 13-14, ≥ 15 years); age at first birth (nulliparous, <20, 20-24, 25-29, 30+ years); parity (number of children: 0, 1-2, 3 or more); age at menopause (<40, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, ≥ 55 years); menopausal hormone use (never, ever)
  2. ** Total numbers of cancer cases may vary due to missing physical activity values.
  3. † ER: estrogen receptor. Hormone receptor status limited to invasive cancers.
  4. †† p-value for heterogeneity comparing RR for >7 hours/week of physical activity: ER-positive and ER-negative tumors.
  5. §p-value for heterogeneity comparing RR for >7 hours/week of physical activity: ER-positive, ER-negative, and ER-unknown tumors.
  6. £ p-value for heterogeneity comparing RR for >7 hours/week of physical activity: invasive and in situ tumors
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BMC Cancer

ISSN: 1471-2407

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