Women who put on even a bit of weight later on in life are more susceptible to developing breast cancer than those.
An extra stone and a half post - menopause increases the risk of developing the disease by 18%, so says an extensive study of 87,000 women .
Successful slimmers are able to halve their chances of getting the disease, in contrast to older women who remain the same weight.
It is never too late to drop a few pounds. Breast cancer can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight throughout one's life, or, by at least shedding excess weight in one's 50s.
About two thirds of UK women are overweight or obese and the UK also has high incidences of breast cancer.
The UK witnesses 41,000 cases of breast cancer per year in addition to 13,000 deaths. 90% of cases are diagnosed in women post menopause, about 50 years old, with the risk increasing with age.
Breast cancer has been related to obesity previously, yet this study is the most extensive one to have been conducted hitherto. Weight was assessed for two different periods of time, from the age of 18 years and post menopause, using the Nurses Health Study data.
87,000 postmenopausal cancer free women were monitored for 26 years to assess weight change since the age of 18, as well as post menopause for 50,000 women,
Women who put on 55 pounds, almost four stones, since the age of 18, had a 45% greater risk of breast cancer than those who maintained their weight. Women who gained 22 pounds, a stone and a half, since the menopause had an 18% rise in breast cancer risk.
Women who lost 22 pounds post menopause and kept the weight off, had a 57% lower risk of breast cancer, in contrast to women who maintained the same weight. Women who had maintained their weight made up only 4.4% of all women cancer patients.
After cancer, obesity is the biggest cause of many cancers . Estimates show 26,000 cancer deaths could be avoided in the UK each year if adults maintained a healthy weight.
A recent Cancer Research UK conference highlighted that food and drink causes 80,000 cases of cancer each year, with up to a third of cases triggered by obesity and too much alcohol .
US research has pointed out that obese women who developed breast cancer are more at risk of dying.
So all in all as women we need to ensure that we keep those pounds off and remain healthy and have long, fulfilling lives.
