A study conducted at the University of Tromso in Norway finds that overweight people with low levels of good cholesterol have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
The study of 39,000 women found those who were overweight and had low levels of HDL cholesterol had a 33 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer after menopause than women with better cholesterol profiles.
Researchers believe low levels of HDL cholesterol indicate high levels of a hormone called androgen, which has been linked to breast cancer.
Woman who are overweight make more estrogen, androgens, more growth factor, more insulin. And all of these are thought to be cancer-promoting. So, if a woman can decrease her weight, she can make less of these cancer-promoting hormones.
Researchers said the increased risk was highest in overweight women who continued to gain weight during the study period.
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