Postmenopausal Women Who Lose Modest Amount of Weight Have Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Research has shown that women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of breast cancer, especially after menopause. Still, research results have been mixed on whether losing weight would decrease a postmenopausal woman's breast cancer risk. Rowan Chlebowski, research professor in the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research at City of Hope, discusses an analysis of data from the very large Women's Health Initiative Observational Study that found that overweight or obese postmenopausal women who lost just a modest amount of weight — as little as 10 or 15 pounds — had a lower risk of breast cancer. Listen to the podcast to hear Dr. Chlebowski explain: why he wanted to do this study why this study was different than earlier studies his advice to postmenopausal women