More weight means more risk for breast cancer

Putting on weight throughout adulthood can increase a woman's risk of breast cancer in middle age, according to new research.

Obesity was already known to be associated with post-menopausal breast cancer. But new findings link the risk of developing the disease after the menopause with weight gain from the age of 18. The pattern was seen in women who did not take hormone replacement therapy, which is known to increase the risk. Women who were not overweight or obese at 18, but were by the ages of 35 and 50, had a 1.4 times increased risk of developing breast cancer. Losing weight appeared to protect against the disease. Women who lost weight had the same risk as those whose weight remained stable.