Belly Fat Increases Cancer Risk In Postmenopausal Women -Study

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If you are nearing your menopause and you have a big belly fat, then you need to seriously think about it and work on getting rid of it as soon as possible.

Here is why - according to a new study, it has been found that, abdominal fat may increase the risk of developing cancer especially in postmenopausal women.

For the study, the researchers included 5,855 women (mean age 71 years) and their assess body fat and body fat composition were assessed. These study group were followed for 12 years.

During the course of the study researchers found that the ratio of abdominal fat to peripheral fat was a significant independent predictor of cancer diagnosis.

Also the researchers determined that only lung and gastrointestinal cancers were associated with high abdominal to peripheral fat ratios.

In addition to this, older age, receipt of hormone replacement therapy and smoking as well as obesity and particularly insulin resistance were found to play specific roles in raising cancer risk.

The study put a new spin on weight management priorities for women in this age-group, who are prone to abdominal weight gain, said Line Maersk Staunstrup, doctoral student with Nordic Bioscience, a Denmark-based biotechnology firm.

"When assessing cancer risk, BMI and fat percentage may not be adequate measures as they fail to assess the distribution of fat mass," Staunstrup explained.

"Avoiding central obesity may confer the best protection," Staunstrup said.

The study was presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress in Madrid.