Obesity & Breast Cancer

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

01 Jun 2006 05:02 AM

Research continues into the connection between obesity and breast cancer. Upper body and abdominal obesity are areas of the greatest concern. Statistics show that half of breast cancer cases have occurred in women who were obese. Studies also indicate that breast tumors that are cancerous are very difficult to locate in women that have an excess of 20% body fat. The link between the two conditions is entirely statistical and while scientists and research physicians are still trying to explore what links the two - the fact is they do seem to be linked.

While I am not going to go into all of the research information or speculation at this point; it's important to understand that for women - maintaining control over your weight is very important especially when entering menopause. Many post-menopausal women who are overweight are at even a greater risk for developing breast cancer because they will have higher levels of testosterone and estrogen.

Weight Loss Programs More Important Than Before

For women, losing weight may not be a matter of vanity but an important safety and health issue. A study published by the Nurses' Health Study in Boston indicated that women who were 44 pounds overweight were doubling their risk of breast cancer. There are other studies that have found similar results. The study identified that post-menopause, fat is not the primary source of estrogen in the body.

Other studies, including one done at Yale found that women who were obese detected dangerous tumors much later because body fat could mask where they were. Late detection can reduce treatment options and survivability rates especially if the cancer is advanced. So while being overweight may not increase your development chances, it could reduce your treatment and identification chances.

Either way - breast cancer is breast cancer and your options to reduce it should not be overlooked.

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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