Diabetes and Obesity Ups Breast Cancer Risk In Older Women

Thu, 08 Dec 2011

Diabetes and obesity after the age of 60 may increase a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer, a new study has revealed. Researchers from Sweden’s Lund University analysed records of 2,724 patients up to 10 years before they developed the cancer and 20,542 patients who never developed the disease.

They found that obesity in women after age 60 increased risk for developing breast cancer by 55 per cent, while diabetes raised the risk by 37 per cent.

"We are looking at everybody, and we found that diabetes in adult women and obesity in women aged 60 and older significantly increased breast cancer risk," said Dr Hakan Olsson, professor in the departments of oncology and cancer epidemiology at Lund University.

Women with diabetes had a 37 per cent greater risk of breast cancer if their diabetes had been diagnosed up to four years before the cancer was diagnosed.

The study also showed that females with abnormally low levels of blood lipids (mostly cholesterol) were 25 per cent morel likely to develop breast cancer, while high levels of blood lipids appeared to be associated with a lower risk of the condition.

Furthermore, the he type of diabetes drug a woman takes also seemed to influence breast cancer risk. Glargine (Lantus) was associated with a near doubled risk of breast cancer, but use Metformin was linked with a slightly lower risk .

Dr Olsson said that while the research supports previous findings that have linked breast cancer risk to obesity and diabetes, the mechanisms behind these effects are unclear, therefore more research is needed to determine if the link is due to cause and effect, or if it’s just a correlation.

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