Research

Hormonal

Obesity increases the risk of postmenopausal estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer and is associated with worse disease outcomes and higher mortality across all breast cancer subtypes.

For postmenopausal women, maintaining a healthy weight is critical to reducing the risk of developing estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer and improving survival rates if diagnosed. This is achieved through lifestyle interventions that lower circulating estrogens and inflammatory markers.

StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
Obesity consistently associates with higher postmenopausal breast cancer risk in many studies... Obesity is associated both with a higher risk of developing breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women, and with worse disease outcome for women of all ages.
Manuel Picon‐Ruiz et al. · CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians · 2017

Why this rating

Supported by large prospective cohort studies (Million Women Study), multiple meta-analyses, and consistent observational data.

Source

Obesity and adverse breast cancer risk and outcome: Mechanistic insights and strategies for intervention

Manuel Picon‐Ruiz et al. · CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians · 2017

DOI 10.3322/caac.21405

narrative_reviewCited 951×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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