14 DAY TRIAL // The presence of large amounts of estrogen hormones in the female body has already been linked to increased chances of developing breast cancer, but doctors are now adding that weight is also directly responsible for increasing risk of cancer. Simply put, the heavier a person is, the more hormones are created to circulate throughout the body. If the body mass is reduced, so is the quantity of estrogen and therefore the risk of cancer.
Doctors say that women with high estrogen levels are not only predisposed to breast cancer, but to uterine cancer as well. They emphasize the importance of healthy food and exercises being a part of daily routines in the lives of those most threatened by cancer or that of patients who have already been diagnosed with the disease. According to Dr. Susan Love, president of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and former breast cancer surgeon, women before menopause find themselves facing a very high risk of developing some form of cancer, as this stage is usually defined by hormonal "turmoil," which can cause some hormones to be produced in larger quantities than before.
If during those years women also have weight problems, "the incidence of cancer cases increases exponentially," Dr. Susan Love adds. Post-menopause, the estrogen production is not completely halted, as one may expect. Instead of being produced by glands, it's generated from bodily fat. Needless to say, the lower the quantity of fat, the less hormones are produced and, implicitly, the lower the chances for breast cancer.
Emily Nardi, a dietitian at the Arizona Cancer Center, emphasizes the important psychological strain women are subjected to. In addition to finding out they are sick, they also have to deal with people constantly telling them to lose weight and face the possibility of actually gaining a few pounds as a side-effect to some treatment options. Studies revealed that depression symptoms are exhibited by patients in this uncomfortable situation. Therefore, doctors say, it's important to prevent breast cancer through appropriate diets and work-outs, at least once or twice a week.