Doing the housework can successfully help to reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a new study.

Remarkably, scientists have found that carrying out the much-maligned household chores actually provides better protection against cancer than playing sport or having a physical job.

The research, carried out on more than 200,000 women across Europe, shows that pre-menopausal women who do housework are 30 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than pre-menopausal women who do none. Post-menopausal women who do the housework were found to be 20 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than their counterparts who do not do any at all.

Significantly, all forms of physical activity combined to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in post-menopausal women, but the effects on pre-menopausal women were negligible.

Indeed, having studied a wide range of activities, the researchers concluded that housework is the only type of exertion that significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal women.

Dr Lesley Walker, from Cancer Research UK, said: "We already know that women who keep a healthy weight are less likely to develop breast cancer. This study suggests that being physically active may also help and that something as simple and cheap as doing the housework can help."

Men and women have been advised that taking regular exercise appears to be one of the best ways to reduce the risk of developing a wide range of cancers.

But, according to a recent Cancer Research UK study, Brits are taking a worryingly inadequate amount of exercise. Nearly 6,000 11 and 12-year-olds at 36 London schools were observed over a five-year period and physical activity in girls fell by an average of 46 per cent during this time. Boys saw a less drastic fall in the amount of exercise they enjoyed, but a slump of 23 per cent is also a concern.

Professor John Toy, medical director of Cancer Research UK, advised: "Adolescents are more likely to develop into healthy adults and will reduce their cancer risk if they grow up taking regular exercise like going for a run in the park or cycling."

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