Increased physical activity reduces breast cancer risk, international study suggests

The researchers found that a higher level of physical activity was associated with a 41% reduction in invasive breast cancer risk for women. Photograph: Wander Women Collective/Getty Images

Increasing physical activity and reducing time spent sedentary is likely to decrease the risk of breast cancer, a study of more than 100,000 women suggests.

An international team including researchers from Australia, the UK and US have used genetic analysis to establish a causal relationship between overall activity levels and cancer risk.