WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Previous studies have already shown that having a higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of breast cancer in women after menopause. Now, a new study gives more details about how this risk changes if the woman also develops heart disease or type 2 diabetes.
The study was led by Dr. Heinz Freisling from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization. His team looked at health data from two large studies - the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) and the UK Biobank, covering 168,547 postmenopausal women who did not have type 2 diabetes or heart disease when they joined the study.
After about 11 years, 6,793 of these women developed breast cancer. The researchers found that for every 5 kg/m² increase in BMI, the risk of breast cancer was 31 percent higher in women who developed heart disease during the study, and 13 percent higher in women who did not develop heart disease.
Type 2 diabetes, however, did not seem to change the risk of breast cancer. The connection between higher BMI and breast cancer stayed about the same whether or not a woman had diabetes.
The researchers said these results could help improve breast cancer screening by focusing on women who are overweight and also have heart disease. They also suggested that future studies on weight loss and breast cancer prevention should include women with heart conditions.
'The findings of this study could be used to inform risk-stratified breast cancer screening programs,' Dr. Freisling concluded. 'This study should also inspire future research to include women with a history of cardiovascular diseases in weight-loss trials for breast cancer prevention.'
Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2025 AFX News
