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| Me: Normal BMI, but with tummy fat. I've had TNBC twice. I'm 11 years past the first diagnosis. two years past the second. |
Women whose fat accumulates around their stomachs and
internal organs—called visceral fat—are more at risk of estrogen negative
breast cancer, including triple-negative, according to research published in
the Oncologist. The increased risk comes even if they are not overweight—that
is, if they have a normal body mass index (BMI). The risk increases is they are
past menopause. [PAT’S NOTE: This is me.]
By
contrast, overweight women whose fat accumulates in the thighs, hips, or
buttocks—called subcutaneous fat—are more at risk of estrogen positive breast
cancer. In this case, having a high BMI and being premenopausal increases the
risk.
“A
possible reason is that subcutaneous fat is involved in estrogen production,
which may promote ER+ breast cancer,” says corresponding author Zhigang Yu at
the Second Hospital of Shandong University in China. “Visceral fat is more
closely related to insulin resistance and may be more likely to promote ER-
breast cancer.”
For the study, researchers recruited
1,316 Han Chinese women between 25 and 70 in Northern and Eastern China who were
newly diagnosed with breast cancer and compared their body types to women who had not had breast cancer.
Asian
women tend to be slimmer than their American counterparts, but those who are
overweight typically carry visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is more common in the
United States. Could that be why ER+ cancer is more common here?
To sum up:
• Women with belly fat who are past menopause are at increased risk of TNBC, even if they are not overweight.
• Women who over overweight, with fat in thighs, hips, and buttocks and who are premenopausal are at risk of ER+ breast cancer.
