The Hindu Business Line : Overweight women more prone to breast cancer: Study

The study, involving around 60,000 female subjects, found that women who are overweight, insulin-resistant or have high blood sugar levels are 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with the advanced forms of the disease.

The research was conducted by a group of doctors from the University of Melbourne, Umea University in Sweden and the German Cancer Research Centre. Swedish women tracked by researchers between 1985 and 2005 were found to be cancer-free at the time of re cruitment and had their blood tested for glucose and insulin levels and other hormones associated with obesity and diabetes risk.

However, around 600 of them were later diagnosed with breast cancer, with those who showed early signs of diabetes more likely to develop the disease than those who showed no risk factors, it was found.

Women, who were insulin resistant or overweight were less likely to be diagnosed with stage one breast cancers but were at greater risk of being diagnosed with stage two to four tumours, which are larger, said Ms Cust, a researcher.

“In a way, it's a good thing that these risk factors are converging for all these diseases our society is afflicted with... because the answer is the same: do whatever you can to avoid being overweight or obese by having a healthy diet and being more phy sically active,” said Mr Graham Giles, Director of epidemiology at the Cancer Council Victoria. - PTI

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