Thursday, May 24, 2012
Moderate Weight Loss Reduces Hormones Linked to Breast Cancer Risk
From Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Even a moderate amount of weight loss can significantly reduce levels of circulating estrogens that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center – the first randomized, controlled clinical trial to test the effects of weight loss on sex hormones in overweight and obese postmenopausal women, a group at elevated risk for breast cancer.
The findings by Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues are published online ahead of the May 21 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a publication of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
“Based on previous research, our results suggest that losing just 5 percent or more of one’s weight could cut by a quarter to a half the risk for the most common, estrogen-sensitive breast cancers,” said McTiernan, director of the Hutchinson Center’s Prevention Center and a member of its Public Health Sciences Division. McTiernan cautions that these findings only apply to overweight or obese women who are not taking hormone-replacement therapy.
Read the full article here.
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