How to keep your fat cells from growing cancer

Certain types of cancer are closely tied to obesity, and breast cancer is one of them.

In fact, if you’re a post-menopausal woman who’s overweight or obese your breast cancer risk skyrockets as much as 60 percent higher than it would be if you had a healthier body weight.

And now researchers from New York University know why… and how you can slash your risk.

It turns out, the relationship between fat and hormones is what really makes all the difference in your breast cancer risk…

Because the fat cells in your body actually release hormones that fuel the growth of breast cancer.  

But these hormones not only make overweight or obese people more likely to get cancer — they also make you less responsive to treatment and more likely to die from it.

“Our research has found that the characteristics of hormones produced by fat cells in obese people can promote breast cancer growth, whereas in lean people it prevents growth,” said lead researcher New York University professor Michael Connor. “The characteristics of those hormones differ depending on whether the person is lean or obese and that determines whether the cancer grows or not.”

The cancer-causing hormones spewing from fat cells are called adipokines. NYU researchers examined these adipokines in mice to confirm that they do indeed contribute to the development of breast cancer cells… but that was only one goal of their study.

Their other goal was to figure out how to stop these hormones from going rogue and causing cancer. And they did figure that out. But the solution they found wasn’t a new drug or experimental therapy…

It’s good old fashioned exercise — and it makes perfect sense.

If fat cells are releasing cancer-causing hormones into your body, your first priority should be to get rid of some of those fat cells. Especially since researchers have confirmed that exercise works when it comes to fighting breast cancer.

“Our study shows that voluntary and rigorous exercise can counteract, and even completely prevent the effects on cancer growth that are caused by obesity. We also show that even moderate exercise can lead to slowing of breast cancer growth and that the more exercise you do, the greater the benefit.” said Connor.

So if your weight has you worried about breast cancer, now is the time to start exercising your breast cancer risk into oblivion. It doesn’t matter what type of exercise you do. According to the American Cancer Society, two and a half hours of exercise per week lowers your risk for all cancers… so that might be a good place to start. And French researchers found that just walking 30 minutes a day decreases your risk of invasive breast cancer.

But of course, the more you do — the lower your risk. And if you can’t exercise you’re not doomed. Reduce your obesity risk by 37 percent this way to reduce the amount of cancer-causing fat in your body.

Sources:

1. F. Theriau, Y. Shpilberg, M.C. Riddell, M.K. Connor. “Voluntary physical activity abolishes the proliferative tumor growth microenvironment created by adipose tissue in animals fed a high fat diet.” Journal of Applied Physiology, 2016; 121 (1): 139.

2. “Exercise.” The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. https://ww5.komen.org. Retrieved July 15, 2016.