High insulin level raises breast cancer risk

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Chinese medianet)-- 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)