More Body Fat Raises Ovarian Cancer Risk: Study

[The Straight Story]

The more a woman weighs, the more she is at risk of ovarian cancer, a new report suggests. A team at the American Institute for Cancer Research looked at 25 studies with data on 4 million women, 16,000 of whom developed ovarian cancer and came up with the conclusion that “greater body fatness is a probable cause of ovarian cancer in women.”

However, the AICR report also suggests that woman don't have to be obese — with a BMI of 30 or greater — for the risk to start growing. Even overweight women have a higher risk, beginning at a BMI of about 28, which is considered overweight but does not qualify as obese. NBC News reports that 14,000 U.S. women every year from ovarian cancer.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/249412251.html

[laundry_queen]

1. HMM.

Not sure it's causal. A lot of women who are overweight or obese have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which is known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer. Women with PCOS have a harder time losing weight than women without it. I have PCOS and have dealt with a lot of cysts and pain...and all that causes scarring on the ovaries, which increases cancer risk. So, is it the cysts and scarring that causes cancer and weight is just correlated because of PCOS, or does something in the fat cause the cancer and there's no relation with PCOS. (I did read that they think fat cells secrete substances that can trigger cancer...all hypothetical of course. Fat cells also tend to accumulate toxins, so it could be that as well). So, because I couldn't find a link to the study to read the parameters (Did they control for those with a BRCA gene for instance), I'll take it with a grain of salt. Interesting they found a link with height as well. Maybe there's a link there to nutrition as a child or something.

[marions ghost]

2. Agree

Association but not causal, so more study needed.