Weight Gain Increases Breast Cancer Risk: Study

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Women who were at or below a normal weight at age 18 but were overweight or obese at ages 35 and 50 had 1.4 times the risk of developing breast cancer, compared with women who had maintained a normal weight. Women who subsequently lost weight had the same cancer risk as those who maintained a stable weight.

But isn't gaining weight a normal part of aging?

Experts increasingly are saying no.

"The issue was outside of the scope of this study, [but] limited data suggest that weight gain is not inevitable with age," Ahn said.

Brooks added: "In our society, most people gain weight [as they age] but that may not be what we should be doing. It's something you should be avoiding as you age. It's not something you should assume just because it's the societal norm."

More information

Visit the National Cancer Institute for more on breast cancer.