"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Study provides recent insights into obesity and breast cancer

An evaluation from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) found that not only are postmenopausal women who’re chubby or obese. The risk of invasive breast cancer is higher in women of normal weight, but the chance also increases when a lady gains weight from obesity. The results were published online on June 11, 2015. JAMA Oncology.

A team of investigators from multiple medical centers studied data from 67,000 postmenopausal women who were enrolled within the WHI between 1993 and 1998. During that point, 3,388 invasive breast cancers were detected. The researchers analyzed the distribution of breast cancer across weight classes and calculated the risks for girls who were chubby (body mass index, or BMI, 25 to 30), obese (BMI 30 to 35) and obese (BMI 30 to 35). , or very obese (BMI greater than 35) in comparison with women of normal weight (BMI 25 or less). They found that the chance of developing breast cancer increased from 17 percent to 59 percent in chubby women with a BMI greater than 35. People who were at their original weight had a lower risk of breast cancer than those that maintained their original weight. Neither weight reduction nor the usage of hormone therapy had a major effect on risk for girls of any weight.

You can calculate your personal risk on the National Cancer Institute website at www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool. The WHI evaluation can offer you a greater idea of ​​how being chubby or obese may affect your risk.