High insulin raises breast cancer risk

New York, United States, January 11: According to a latest American study, high insulindefine levels can augment the risk of breast cancerdefine in women. Lead researchers Marc Gunter and Howard Strickler of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, traced insulin’s role in breast cancer while manipulating oestrogen levels.

The study is very significant because till now, high oestrogen levels in overweight postmenopausal women have been associated with the increased risk of breast cancerdefine. But insulindefine has never been studied separately as a possible risk factor.

For the study purposes, researchers took into account 835 women enlisted in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, who developed breast cancer. Another set of randomly selected 816 women, who did not develop breast cancer, was also a part of the study.

The researchers then studied the link between incident breast cancer and baseline fasting insulin. Also, the relation between insulin like growth factor -1 and oestradiol levels was examined.

The women were divided into four groups depending on their fasting insulin levels. It was discovered that women with elevated levels of insulin were 1.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer. This was in comparison to women who had the lowest levels of insulin.

Women who were not undergoing hormone therapy were examined separately. It was discovered that the women possessing the highest insulin levels were 2.4 times more at the danger of developing breast cancer as compared to the ones with lowest levels.

There was no change in the observations of researchers, even after they considered other risk factors of breast cancer, including oestrogen levels.

The authors were quoted as saying, “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 study has been published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute.