Increased BMI, pot belly linked to higher risk of male breast cancer

INCREASED BMI and abdominal obesity appear to be associated with a higher risk of breast cancer in men, according to the results of a study published in Cancer Epidemiology.

“Breast cancer is rare in men and knowledge about its causation is limited. Obesity is a risk factor, but there has been no investigation to find out whether weight change is an independent risk factor in men, as it is in women,” Anthony J. Swerdlow, FMedsci, epidemiologist and head of the epidemiology section at the Institute of Cancer Research in England, and colleagues wrote.

In the national case-control study, trained research nurses interviewed 1,998 men with breast cancer in England and Wales and 1,597 male controls about risk factors for breast cancer . The researchers used a logistic regression model to assess the relative risks of breast cancer with respect to changes in BMI and height-to-height ratios at different ages.

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Results showed a significant increase in breast cancer risk per 2 kg/m² increase in BMI between ages 20 and 40 and between ages 40 and 60.

Furthermore, researchers have observed an association between an increased risk of breast cancer and increased adiposity between ages 11 and 20. An increase in the height-to-height ratio between 20 years and 5 years before diagnosis also significantly increased the risk of breast cancer.

The association between breast cancer risk and increased BMI and abdominal obesity may be associated with increased estrogen levels and requires further research, the researchers noted.