What is the purpose of the WISER project?
With over 200,000 diagnoses of breast cancer each year in
the United States, there is a tremendous interest in discovery of ways
to modify risks for breast cancer. Currently, there are research studies
indicating that exercise reduces risk for breast cancer.
Not much is known about HOW exercise reduces risk for
breast cancer.
- We think exercise might changes the way women metabolize estrogen.
- We also think exercise might reduce oxidative stress.
Both of these physical changes have been shown to reduce breast cancer
risk.
- Exercise may also alter breast cancer risk by other physiological
mechanisms, including fasting insulin, insulin resistance and changes
in blood plasma proteins.
If we can show that exercise changes these things for the better, it
will help us to better understand HOW exercise is not
only good for health in general, but also reduces risk for breast cancer.
If evidence supports exercise as having potential for prevention
of breast cancer, the benefit to society will be considerable.
The WISER project is part of the Transdisciplinary
Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) (within the University
of Minnesota's Cancer Center) funded by the National
Cancer Institute. The WISER study is being conducted by University
of Minnesota researchers in the Department
of Food Science and Nutrition (Principal Investigator, Mindy Kurzer,
Ph.D., Project Coordinator, Maureen O'Dougherty Ph.D., Recruiter and Evaluator,
Amber Dallman, MPH). Dr.
Kurzer has a long-standing interest in diet and cancer prevention,
in particular the effects of diet and exercise on estrogens.
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