http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/31/content_10586548.htm
*High insulin level raises breast cancer risk*
*BEIJING*, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet)-- Women with high levels of insulin are
more vulnerable to breast cancer than those with lower insulin levels,
according to a study carried in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute
quoted by media reports Wednesday.
Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York
City compared insulin levels in 835 women who developed breast cancer and
816 women who did not in the Women's Health Initiative study.According to
the study, those whose insulin levels were the highest had a 1.5 times
greater risk of developing breast cancer than did women with the lowest
fasting insulin levels.
In laboratory studies, insulin has been shown to stimulate the growth of
breast cells, and overweight has been identified as a risk factor for breast
cancer, found by the American Cancer Society.
"These data suggest that hyperinsulinemia is an independent risk factor
for breast cancer and may have a substantial role in explaining the
obesity-breast cancer relationship," the researchers wrote.
(Agencies)
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