Uc Science Today

Excessively overweight women may be at higher risk of developing breast cancer. That’s a big problem in the United States where over half the country's population is overweight or obese. “Even though it is not a very strong risk factor it becomes so prevalent. If you look at postmenopausal women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, about a third of them are overweight or obese." Study leader Karla Kerlikowske says the hormone estrogen is to blame. "When you are a postmenopausal woman, your estrogen level becomes very low, approaching 0. But when you are obese, that fat can create estrogen metabolite, so instead of your estrogen levels being 0, they would remain higher than they would otherwise. And that circulating estrogen from being overweight women contributes to women developing breast cancer. ” So keeping body mass index under control might help you lower the risk of cancer.