How Much Weight Loss After Menopause Reduces Breast Cancer Risk Has Been Identified

• What Is Menopause? Symptoms, Effects and Management Strategies During Menopause

One important factor increasing breast cancer risk is known to be obesity , but how much weight loss after menopause reduces breast cancer risk had been a major question. An important study shedding light on this issue was published in October 2018 in Cancer and, according to this research, weight loss clearly reduces breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.

The study included 61.335 women who had not been diagnosed with breast cancer and had normal mammograms. Their weight, height and body mass index were assessed at baseline and 3 years later. A weight change of less than 5 percent was defined as "stable," while a change of more than 5 percent was defined as "weight gain" or "weight loss."

During a mean follow-up of 11.4 years, 3.061 new breast cancer cases occurred. Women whose weight loss exceeded 5 percent had a % 12 lower risk of developing breast cancer. Women gaining more than 5 percent in weight had no increase in overall breast cancer risk, but their triple-negative breast cancer risk increased by 54 percent.

What Does This Study Tell Us?

• This study shows that modest weight loss in postmenopausal women significantly reduces breast cancer risk.
• The results came from an observational study and support earlier findings. A previous randomized clinical trialconducted by the Women's Health Initiative had also found that adherence to low-fat diets increased survival in breast cancer.
• It must be emphasized that keeping weight under control has a major effect on breast cancer risk.