Being overweight is not healthy. Despite this, roughly 70% of all Americans are overweight or obese. As a result, the population is getting sicker, developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure at an alarming rate. But these aren’t the only illnesses that are linked to excess weight.
Many cancers have been found to flourish in those who are obese, and this includes breast cancer. But why are obesity and breast cancer linked? And what can be done to prevent it?
The Cause? Likely Estrogen Levels.
Research has shown that women who are obese and have gone through menopause have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who have a healthy BMI. Menopause typically occurs when a woman is in her 50s, though some women start as young as 35.
With this change of life, reproductive hormones are no longer produced in the same amounts. Typically, the ovaries stop producing estrogen. However, there is another source of the hormone: fat cells.
The more fat tissue in the body, whether the person is male or female, the higher their estrogen levels. And higher-than-normal estrogen levels are linked to many cancers, including breast cancer.
More Research Is Still Needed
While there does appear to be a link between breast cancer and obesity, more research is needed to prove causation over correlation. Evidence does seem stronger that it causes breast cancer in those who are recently overweight rather than those who have struggled with obesity their entire lives. However, the number of people who develop breast cancer while obese is a strong indication that, in some manner, carrying around excess weight makes it more likely that a person will develop cancer of the breast tissue.
Lowering Risk Factors
Some risk factors for breast cancer cannot be controlled for. If you are genetically predisposed, been exposed to carcinogens, or developed another cancer in the past, you will be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer no matter what you do.
The key is to do what you can to make the development of breast cancer less likely. For this, bariatric surgeries can help. Weight loss surgery in Tijuana can help those who struggle with weight loss through traditional methods. For example, lap band surgery in Mexico can help you lose as much as half your body weight.
To learn more about your options and the Mexico lap band surgery cost, contact ALO Bariatrics.
