Breast Cancer Risk Linked To Obesity In Postmenopausal Women

Postmenopausal women who were overweight or obese have a higher risk of invasive breast cancer than women of normal weight, a new study suggests.

Obesity, a major public health problem in the United States, has been associated with breast cancer risk in systematic review, observational studies, and meta-analyses.

Using extended follow-up data from the Women’s Health Initiative clinical trials, Marian L. Neuhouser, Ph.D., R.D., of the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, and coauthors looked at the association between being overweight and obese with the risk of postmenopausal invasive breast cancer.


The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) measured height and weight, baseline and annual or biennial mammograms, and breast cancer in 67,142 postmenopausal women enrolled from 1993 to 1998 with a median of 13 years of follow-up. 3,388 invasive breast cancers were involved.