Shedding Pounds May Protect Against Breast Cancer

Losing weight can lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart disease risk. It also can lower your risk for breast cancer.

A study of nearly 140,000 women tracked weight changes since the women’s teen years. Those who did not use hormone replacement therapy and who lost at least 22 pounds after menopause reduced their breast cancer risk by about 40%. If they kept the weight off for at least four years, they cut their risk even more—by about 60%.

Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 296, No. 2