Excess weight may be a more important factor in many forms of cancer, including breast cancer, than family history. A recent Fitness magazine article states:
“Women think breast cancer is mainly related to family history,” says Melinda Irwin, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and public health at Yale School of Medicine. “But in truth, only about 10 percent of cases are. That means 90 percent of breast cancer may be caused by environmental or lifestyle factors like weight.” The article continues,
In a groundbreaking study published several years ago in the New England Journal of Medicine, women who weighed the most died of cancer at a 62 percent higher rate than those who were slimmer. The researchers blamed excess weight for up to half of all deaths from breast cancer alone. “The scary thing is that even as more and more research shows a link between weight and cancer, women are becoming heavier and less active,” Irwin says. She and other experts worry that this could lead to a rise in cancer cases down the road.
Click here to read the full article on Weight Gain and Breast Cancer by Richard Laliberte.
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Inga Duncan Thornell 