A
number of factors have been implicated as substantial risk factors for breast
cancer, including family history of the disease and early onset of
menstruation. Recent research also hints at a link between hormone replacement
and breast cancer.
A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology reveals another possible
contributor to this devastating disease: body fat distribution. As part of the
Nurses' Health Study (1986-1994), 47,382 U.S. registered nurses reported their
waist and hip circumferences at entrance and were monitored for the next eight
years for incidence of breast cancer.
Increasing waist circumference was significantly related to breast cancer in
postmenopausal, but not premenopausal, women. This association was maintained
even when considering overall obesity and other breast cancer risk factors, and
was even stronger among women who had never received hormone replacement
therapy. Consult with a health care professional to learn how to minimize your
risk of developing breast cancer.
Reference - Huang Z, Willett WC, Colditz GA. Waist circumference, waist:hip ratio, and risk
of breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study. American Journal of Epidemiology,
Dec. 1999: Vol. 150, No. 12, pp1316-24.