Metabolic Syndrome May Increase Risk of Death From Breast Cancer
Metabolic syndrome may increase a woman’s risk of death from breast cancer after menopause, according to a study published in the journal Cancer.
Metabolic syndrome means you have at least three of the following conditions:
extra fat around your waist
high triglycerides
low HDL cholesterol
Key Takeaways
Women with a higher metabolic syndrome score (at least three of four components of the disorder) had a 44% higher risk of dying from breast cancer and a 53% higher risk of dying from any cause after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Women with a higher metabolic syndrome score were more likely to be diagnosed with estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer.
Women with obesity (BMI of 30 or higher) were more likely to be diagnosed with estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer.
Women who had severe obesity (BMI of 35 or higher) were more likely to die from breast cancer than women with lower BMIs.
What the results mean for you
The results illustrate how metabolic syndrome and obesity can negatively affect breast cancer outcomes in post-menopausal women.
If you carry a lot of weight around your waist and have been told that you’ve got high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol, you may want to ask your doctor about breast cancer screening and steps you could take to improve your health. If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, making healthy diet and lifestyle choices keeps your risks of treatment side effects and dying from breast cancer as low as they can be and keeps you as healthy as you can be.
About the study
This analysis included information from 63,330 post-menopausal women (average age, 65 years) who enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) — a long-term study looking for links between health, diet, and lifestyle factors and health problems, such as cancer. The participants had no history of breast cancer and normal mammograms at the time of joining the WHI study.
The researchers calculated a metabolic score for all the women when they joined the study by giving one point for each of these conditions:
waist measurement of 34.65 inches or larger
high blood pressure or history of high blood pressure
high cholesterol or history of high cholesterol
diabetes
The researchers also calculated the BMI of each woman. BMI categories were:
24 or lower: underweight or normal weight
25-29: overweight
30-34: obese
35 or higher: severe obesity
Among the women in the study:
9.5% had a metabolic score of three or four
23.2% had a metabolic score of zero
84% were white
10% were Black
During the follow-up period, 4,562 breast cancers were diagnosed. Of the women diagnosed with breast cancer, 2,073 died, 659 of them from breast cancer.
Detailed results
Women with a metabolic score of three or four didn’t have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer than women with a score of zero, but they did have a 44% higher risk of dying from breast cancer if they were diagnosed. They also had a 53% higher risk of dying from any cause after being diagnosed.
Women with a metabolic score of three or four also were 47% more likely to be diagnosed with estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer than women with a score of zero.
The risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer increased as a woman’s BMI went up. Women with severe obesity were 69% more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women who were normal weight or underweight.
Women with a BMI of 25 (overweight) or higher were more likely to die from any cause after being diagnosed with breast cancer than women with a lower BMI; women with severe obesity were more likely to die from breast cancer after being diagnosed than women with a lower BMI.
“Metabolic score and obesity status have independent, but differential, adverse associations with breast cancer receptor subtypes and breast cancer mortality risk,” the researchers concluded. “Both represent separate targets for breast cancer prediction and prevention strategies.”
Learn more
Interested in learning more about nutrition and breast cancer? Check out The Breastcancer.org Podcast episode featuring registered dietitian and oncology nutrition specialist Hillary Sachs.
Chlebowski RT, Aragaki AK, Pan K, et al. Breast cancer incidence and mortality by metabolic syndrome and obesity: The Women’s Health Initiative. Cancer. 2024; 1-10.
— Last updated on September 6, 2024 at 6:52 PM