Study: Postmenopausal Women Cut Breast Cancer Risk by Avoiding Obesity

Women who are postmenopausal may lower their risk of developing breast cancer by not becoming obese, according to researchers at the Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute in Japan.

Researchers say that the risk is lower even when a woman has a family history of breast cancer.

Researchers developed a study to determine the impact of family history on body size and reproductive risk factors for breast cancer. More than 1,500 women with breast cancer participated in the study, along with more than 15,000 cancer-free women. A separate analysis was done on premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

According to the study's findings, regardless of family history, height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were positively associated with postmenopausal breast cancer. Body size factors did not change the risk in premenopausal women, according to the study published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control.

Researchers found that there was little association with reproductive risk factors for premenopausal or postmenopausal breast cancer in women with a family history of the disease, in clear contrast with women without a family history of breast cancer.

Researchers suggest that avoiding obesity after menopause may reduce the risk of breast cancer, regardless of a woman's family history of the disease.

Other sources: Cancer Causes and Control