Study: Breast Cancer Outlook Better With Low Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Post-menopausal women with breast cancer have a better chance of surviving if their waist-to-hip ratio is low, according to Canadian researchers.

Researchers from the British Columbia Cancer Agency followed breast cancer patients for a period of 10 years to test the theory that women who have higher amounts of stomach fat around their midriffs are at greater risk of dying from the disease.

Those with the highest waist-to-hip ratio who had estrogen-positive breast cancer were three times more likely to die from the disease than those with the leanest torsos, the researchers reported.

"The apples are at three-fold greater risk of dying in the first 10 years than the pears were," lead researcher Marilyn Borugian told the Canadian Press.

"Despite the fact that overall in terms of the poundage they're carrying, it might not be as much as someone else or it may be the same as someone else, the fact that it's located around the middle is a sign of a metabolic imbalance. And it is an increased risk," Borugian said.

The research, by scientists from the cancer agency, the University of British Columbia, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the University of Washington in Seattle, will be published soon in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Other Sources: British Columbia Cancer Agency