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Breast cancer risk is more affected by total body fat than abdominal fat
May 2017
According to a study published in Endocrine-Related Cancer, levels of several breast cancer risk markers were reduced in postmenopausal women who lost total body fat, rather than just belly fat.
A reduction in overall body fat, rather than abdominal fat, is associated with lower levels of breast cancer markers. The study published in Endocrine-Related Cancer, found that levels of several breast cancer risk markers were reduced in postmenopausal women who lost total body fat, rather than just belly fat. These results emphasise the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and could influence the design of diet and exercise plans for overweight women.
Body fat is a known risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer but whether there is an increased risk from fat specifically accumulated around the stomach is unclear. In recent years, belly fat has been reported to raise the risk of several conditions including cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. Increased levels of several blood markers, including sex hormones, testosterone and oestrogen, the “fullness hormone”, leptin, and inflammatory factors, are associated with breast cancer risk. Some research has suggested that these markers are mainly produced in fat localised to the belly while other work has shown that weight loss is associated with changes in blood levels of breast cancer markers. Taken together these findings seem to suggest that body fat could have an important effect on breast cancer markers
In this study, carried out by researchers at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, 243 overweight, postmenopausal women lost 5-6 kg of weight over 16 weeks. Blood levels of sex hormones, leptin and inflammatory markers were compared to levels prior to weight loss. Total and abdominal fat changes were assessed using x-ray and MRI-based scans.
After 16 weeks a reduction in total body fat was associated with favourable changes in the levels of breast cancer risk markers, including sex hormones and leptin, whilst a reduction in belly fat was more associated with a reduction in inflammatory markers.
Dr Evelyn Monninkhof who led the study said, “It is known that belly fat increases the risk of several chronic diseases, independently of total body fat, but for reducing sex hormone levels total body fat seems more important.”
Dr Monninkhof says, “Our next step is to find out how belly fat and total body fat can best be conquered, to identify which nutritional or physical activity programmes are optimal for reducing both weight gain and breast cancer risk.”
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Notes for editors:
The study “Association between changes in fat distribution and biomarkers for breast cancer” was published in Endocrine-Related Cancer on Wednesday 17 May 2017.
For other press enquiries, or copies of the paper, please contact the Bioscientifica press office at [email protected]
Endocrine-Related Cancer is published by Bioscientifica, an innovative and agile publisher. Bioscientifica collaborates with learned societies worldwide to develop new and existing quality products that meet the ever-changing needs of the biomedical community. Our publishing portfolio includes journals and online resources, including Journal of Endocrinology, Endocrine Related Cancer, Endocrine Connections, Bone Abstracts and Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Case Reports. Bioscientifica is a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the Society for Endocrinology.
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