Obesity is the leading driving force behind the most common form of breast cancer in adult women, reveal researchers. The official statistics shows that one in eight women in UK develops breast cancer in their lifetime and the greater parts of these tumours are hormone perceptive, means their growth is by hormones.
The excessive storage of fat in the body increases the levels of these hormones. Several research have shown that post-menopausal women with higher levels of oestrogen and testosterone have two to three percent higher risk of breast cancer in comparison to women with the lowest levels.
For some time, experts have known that aspects which influence hormone levels such as pregnancy use of oral contraceptives and menopause can alter the breast cancer risk of women. However, the latest study suggests obesity should go at the top of this list, not least as it is lifestyle aspect that women can have some control over.
In a study the Oxford University team, examined the health records of nearly sixty-three hundred post-menopausal women, searching for aspects, which might elucidate why some developed hormone sensitive breast cancer, while other did not. The weight of women had the utmost demeanor on sex hormone levels of the women soon followed by smoking and alcohol consumption.
Obese or overweight women, meant whose body mass index (BMI) is twenty-five or above, had highest levels of hormones like oestrogen and progesterone. Similarly women who drank more than two and half units of alcohol a day or smoked more than fifteen cigarettes daily are at higher risk.
Women should be made aware of these modifiable risk aspects. The study was published in the British Journal of Cancer. According to Dr Julie Sharp from Cancer Research UK, this is a significant study because it helps to show how alcohol and weight can influence hormone levels and understanding their role in breast cancer is essential.
This analysis sheds light on how they could affect breast cancer risk. The risk of the disease can be affected by family history and getting older, but there are also things women can do help reduce the risk of the disease. Maintaining a healthy body weight and reducing alcohol consumption is a key to reduce breast cancer risk, added Dr Sharp.