With so many studies talking about weight loss, most of us know quite well that its benefits are not limited to just the obvious. Backing this up, professionals at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have revealed that even modest weight loss may help combat breast cancer.
The team revealed that weight loss apparently reduced the proportions of estrogen in the body that is one of the major causes of breast cancer. To reach this conclusion, almost 439 obese women aged between 50 and 75 were analyzed.
“However, exercise has many important benefits for those on a weight-loss program, she noted. Exercise prevents loss of muscle and bone, and it helps keep off the weight long term. I recommend women both diet and exercise, because in the long run that should help keep weight down and therefore keep estrogens down,†commented Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D.
The participants were exposed to diet- and exercise- based interventions to understand if losing weight led to hormone fluctuations. As per the outcomes, losing even about 5% of the overall body weight was seemingly linked to beneficial hormone levels. As the number of kilos lost increased, the effect seemed to be all the more pronounced.
Reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the findings should be given a thought by overweight women taking drugs for regulating their estrogen levels. This is because medications may have an array of side-effects and guidelines for optimum usage. This analysis showed that weight loss could be an easier way of managing breast cancer risk effectively.