GLASGOW, Scotland (UPI) -- Exercise sessions conducted in groups can help improve the physical and psychological well-being of women with breast cancer, found a Scottish study.

Over 200 women took part in the study. They were split into two separate groups; the first was a control group that received their usual care, while the second group received their usual care and were invited to take part in a 12-week program of exercise sessions.

Participants in the second group were encouraged to attend two classes --led by trained exercise specialists -- and undertake one additional exercise session at home each week.

Participants in the second group had better outcomes on both a physical and psychological level than those who had not taken part in the exercise program, both at the 12-week and six-month assessments. After six months, those who had exercised had made fewer visits to their doctor and spent fewer nights in a hospital than the control group, according to the study published in the British Medical Journal.

The researchers say that the benefits experienced by the women may have been caused by the exercise itself or by the group experience, or a combination of both.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International