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12 July 2006
Weight Gain A Big Factor In Postmenopausal Breast Cancer 
Evidence is stacking up that weight gain, particularly postmenopausal weight gain, is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School explain that weight gain after menopause can raise circulating estrogen hormones in women, and because estrogen is directly related to breast cancer, this weight gain is believed to increase the risk of the disease. In order to determine the association between weight change and the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women, the researchers assessed weight change for two different periods - since 18 years of age and since menopause. Nearly 90,000 postmenopausal women (aged between 30 and 55) were followed-up for up to 26 years to analyze weight change since age 18. Weight change since menopause was assessed among almost 50,000 women (followed up for up to 24 years). Lead researcher, A. Heather Eliassen, said that women who gained about 55 pounds or more since age 18 were at a 45 percent increased risk of breast cancer, compared with those who maintained their weight. Women who gained about 22 pounds or more since menopause were at an 18 percent increased risk of breast cancer. Those who lost 22 pounds or more since menopause (and kept the weight off) and had never used postmenopausal hormones were at a 57 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who simply maintained their weight. The researchers concluded that 15 percent of the study's breast cancer cases may be attributable to weight gain of 4.4 pounds or more since age 18 and 4 percent of the cases may be attributable to weight gain of 4.4 pounds or more since menopause. "These data suggest that weight gain during adult life, specifically since menopause, increases the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women, whereas weight loss after menopause is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer," said Eliassen. "Women should be advised to avoid weight gain both before and after menopause to decrease their postmenopausal breast cancer risk." Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
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