Slimming reduces breast cancer risk
Published: August 19, 2005
Young women at high risk of breast cancer can dramatically reduce their chances of getting the disease by slimming, new research suggests.
A study of more than 2,000 women from five countries found that, for some, losing weight cut the chances of breast cancer before the age of 50 by 65%.
Those who benefited most from slimming all had a mutation in the gene BRCA 1 that greatly increases breast cancer risk.
For these women, losing 10 pounds between the ages of 18 and 30 produced a 65% reduced risk of breast cancer.
Slimming also reduced the risk for women with another defective breast cancer gene, BRCA 2, but not to a significant degree.
In contrast, weight gain heightened the risk of breast cancer for BRCA 1 mutation carriers with at least two children. Their chances of being diagnosed before the age of 40 rose by 44% if they put on more than 10 pounds between the ages of 18 and 30.
The intentional team of investigators, led by Dr Steven Narod, from the University of Toronto in Canada, wrote in the on-line journal Breast Cancer Research: “The results from this study suggest that weight loss in early adult life protects against early-onset BRCA-associated breast cancers.
“Weight gain should also be avoided, particularly among BRCA 1 mutation carriers who elect to have at least two pregnancies.”
Why slimming was so protective against breast cancer for some women is not clear, but it is thought to be linked to known associations between body fat and hormones.
Fat deposits around the centre of the body affect ovarian hormone and glucose metabolism, and promote insulin resistance. All of these effects are believed to increase breast cancer risk.
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