Weight Training Benefits Breast Cancer Survivors

Breast cancer patients often suffer from a multitude of secondary complaints, such as insomnia, weight gain, chronic fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Exercise has been identified as a possible treatment for quality of life-limiting symptoms. However, aerobic exercise has only half the effect of strength training.

Weight training significantly improves the quality of life of women recently treated for breast cancer, according to a new study. Published in the journal Cancer, the study indicates six months of twice weekly exercise that improved strength and body composition was enough to result in improvements in the overall physical and emotional condition of the patients. This is the first randomized trial to study the effects of weight training on quality of life in breast cancer patients. Read more