Moving more helps older women who had cancer live longer
Accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary behavior, and mortality among cancer survivors: the Women’s Health Accelerometry Collaboration
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Walking just 2,469 more steps per day was linked to a 34% lower risk of dying from heart disease.
Most people assume you need intense exercise to protect your heart, but simple walking had a dramatic effect—even in older cancer survivors.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for 5,000–6,000 steps a day through daily walking, like short walks after meals or parking farther away.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Walking just 2,469 more steps per day was linked to a 34% lower risk of dying from heart disease.
Most people assume you need intense exercise to protect your heart, but simple walking had a dramatic effect—even in older cancer survivors.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for 5,000–6,000 steps a day through daily walking, like short walks after meals or parking farther away.
Publication
Journal
JNCI Cancer Spectrum
Year
2025
Authors
E. Hyde, K. Evenson, Gretchen E. Bandoli, Jingjing Zou, Noe C. Crespo, H. Parada, Michael J. LaMonte, A. G. Howard, Steve Nguyen, Meghan B. Skiba, Tracy E Crane, Marcia L. Stefanick, I-Min Lee, Andrea Z. LaCroix
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Claims (7)
Older women who walk about 4,400 steps a day tend to live longer than those who walk only 2,700 steps. More walking is linked to lower risk of dying from any cause.
For women who've had cancer and gone through menopause, walking about 5,000 to 6,000 steps a day gives the biggest drop in risk of dying from any cause — and walking more doesn't seem to help much more.
For women who’ve gone through menopause and survived cancer, moving more every day — like walking or doing light exercise — seems to help them live longer. Every extra 96 minutes of movement a day is linked to an 11% lower chance of dying from any cause.
Walking more every day might help lower the chance of dying from heart disease in women who’ve gone through menopause and survived cancer.
Sitting too much might raise the risk of dying from heart problems in women who’ve gone through menopause and survived cancer. Every extra hour and 42 minutes of sitting per day could increase that risk by 30%.