Intuitively we all know how important exercise is to our general health, but now there is evidence-based science confirming how important it is for cutting our risk of cancer, especially breast cancer. Medscape provides a medical analysis of several studies supporting this.

A study published early in 2012 found that overweight postmenopausal women who shed just 5 to 10 percent of their body weight slashed their breast cancer risk in half. (Fat can raise levels of the hormone estrogen, which is known to fuel certain kinds of breast cancer). What’s more, another recent study found that women who are overweight when diagnosed with breast cancer have a higher risk of recurrence than thinner women.

Exercise is also a boon for breasts: A Cancer study released during the  summer of 2012 found that women who worked out 10 to 19 hours a week had a 30 percent reduced risk of breast cancer. Not only can exercise reduce body fat, it also lowers levels of stress and inflammation, which can affect how your immune system treats cancer cells.

According to Dr. Pam Popper, nationally well known nutritional naturopath and author of Food Over Medicine, a study with mice showed that exercise alone prevented cancer as well as exercise and chemo, without the side effects.

Read the full Readers Digest article, 13 Things Your Breasts Won’t Tell You