Breast cancer and weight gain close link

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 26 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Weight gain is closely linked with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, says the American Cancer Society.

If a woman puts on 21-30 pounds after she is 18, her risk of developing breast cancer increases by 40% in comparison with women who only gained a maximum of 5 pounds.

Heather Spencer Feigelson, leader of a new study, said 'These findings further illustrate the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life. Even modest weight gain since age 18 was associated with increased risk of post-menopausal breast cancer.'

The study, which started in 1992, looked at 50-74 year-old women. They were asked what their weight was at that time (now) and what their weight was when they were 18. These women were then followed up over a number of years.

It seems that body fat increases a woman's risk of breast cancer because it increases levels of estrogen.

In a statement, the American Cancer Society said 'Lean women not using HRT have the lowest levels of circulating estrogens, and the lowest risk of breast cancer. HRT users, both lean and fat, have high levels of circulating hormones, masking any additional estrogenic effect from fat cells.'

We already knew that weight gain increases breast cancer risk. Now we have a better idea of why this is so.

Post-menopausal women can reduce their breast cancer risk by watching their weight.

You can read about the report in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.