Metabolic Syndrome Increases Risk of Endometrial Cancer Regardless Of Weight Issues

New findings published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention have shown that older women with metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk of endometrial cancer.

Metabolic syndrome is characterized as low levels of "good" cholesterol and high levels of fats called triglycerides, according to the American Association for Cancer Research.

"We found that a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was associated with higher risk of endometrial cancer, and that metabolic syndrome appeared to increase risk regardless of whether the woman was considered obese," said Britton Trabert, PhD, an investigator in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics of the National Cancer Institute, in a news release. "Although our study was not designed to evaluate the potential impact of preventing metabolic syndrome on endometrial cancer incidence, weight loss and exercise are the most effective steps a woman can take to prevent developing metabolic syndrome."

For the study, researchers performed a case-control experiment that incorporated data from the SEER-Medicare database, involving 16,323 women diagnosed with endometrial cancer between 1993 and 2007 and 100,751 women without endometrial cancer.

Findings revealed that a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome increased the risk of endometrial cancer by 39 to 103 percent.

After accounting for overweight or obese women, researchers still found that those diagnosed with the health problem were about 21 percent more likely to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

"We found that a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was associated with higher risk of endometrial cancer, and that metabolic syndrome appeared to increase risk regardless of whether the woman was considered obese," Trabert concluded. "Although our study was not designed to evaluate the potential impact of preventing metabolic syndrome on endometrial cancer incidence, weight loss and exercise are the most effective steps a woman can take to prevent developing metabolic syndrome."

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