Public Health & Health Science Division, ULAB

Breast Cancer remains a significant health issue, with roughly around 42,000 maternal deaths occurring each year. The relationship between exercise and breast cancer has been widely studied with substantial evidence suggesting that higher exercise can lower breast cancer proliferation. The meta analysis aimed to investigate the relationship between exercise activating the hormones and receptors of dopamine, insulin, and estrogen and breast cancer across different populations. We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases and included studies that reported the association between exercise and the hormones and their impact on breast cancer. Through this analysis, we were able to generate novel mechanisms for the hormones and were able to link exercise and breast cancer. Our findings suggest that an increase in exercise increased the levels of dopamine while lowering insulin and estrogen levels. These effects have a strong relationship with lowering breast cancer proliferation. Previous studies focused on generating already researched pathways to a higher degree. Our research incorporates previously researched pathways with the extension of introducing a new pathway that has not been researched thoroughly. Our research employs a meta-analysis of research papers and scientific data, which allows for a more comprehensive and rigorous examination of the research question and can help identify patterns and trends across studies.