Housework cuts cancer risk, says researcher

CALGARY -- Doing chores can help reduce your risk of cancer, says a Calgary health researcher.

Pre-menopausal women who are physically active, especially those who spend a lot of time keeping house, seem to reduce their risk of developing endometrial cancer, which attacks the lining of the uterus.

Stats from a six-year study on European woman showed that about four hours of moderate housework a day was enough to halve a woman's risk of getting this type of cancer.

"In some of those countries, those women were doing an enormous amount of household activity," said Christine Friedenreich of the Alberta Cancer Board.

The amount of exercise women get from doing chores often has been ignored in past studies, Friedenreich said. Her past studies have shown that exercise has a preventative effect against breast cancer, as well.

"It's about trying to get people to increase activity into as many parts of their lives as they can," she said.

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