Obesity Increases the Risk of Breast Cancer Death Risk

Younger women who are obese are at a 34 percent increased risk of dying from breast cancer, according to a recent study conducted by researchers from Britain's University of Oxford.

Findings showed that those who were overweight or obese were at an increased risk of developing breast cancer. However, study results also showed that obesity is only significantly more dangerous for women who get cancer before menopause.

For the study, lead study author Hongchao Pan of Britain's University of Oxford looked at data on 80,000 women who had breast cancer. Study results revealed that for women who were already past menopause and with the hormone-negative kind, obesity was not an issue.

Yet for younger women with the hormone-positive breast cancer who were obese, the risk was much higher.

"Despite everyone knowing the truth of this, the levels of overweight and obesity in the U.S. continue to climb," said ASCO president Dr. Clifford Hudis, via NBC News. "Knowing that it is a negative health factor in so many domains is not yet an effective way of changing behavior."

Obesity is determined by a body mass index (BMI) that goes beyond 30 kg/m2. Data from Gallup Well-Being in the United States shows that obesity rate in adults rose one percent from 2012 to 27 percent in 2013. This is the largest annual increase since 2009.

As breast cancer remains the second leading cancer among American women, following lung cancer, regular screenings play an important role in staying healthy and preventing future health issues.

More information regarding the findings will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) 50th annual meeting in Chicago.