Does Fat Fuel Breast Cancer?

Obesity is bad news for breast cancer. Previous research has shown that heavier women are more vulnerable to breast cancer. Now scientists report that obese women are more likely to experience a recurrence of breast cancer. They’re also more likely to die of the disease compared to women of normal weight. The investigators tracked 5,000 breast cancer patients over eight years. Roughly a third were overweight and another third were obese.
The women who had a serious weight problem were 40 percent more likely to experience a return of their breast cancer and were 69 percent more likely to die from their cancer. The investigators hypothesize that the extra insulin and estrogen associated with excess fatty tissue might be responsible for tumor proliferation. Whether losing weight will tip the balance towards survival is not yet established, but other data suggests that shedding pounds can have many other health benefits.
[Cancer, online Aug. 27, 2012]