We investigated the associations between obesity, body fat distribution, female sex hormones, blood lipids and both benign and malignant breast disease in 28 patients with breast cancer, 32 patients with benign breast disease and 30 control subjects. Height, weight, BM) (Body Mass index), WHR (Waist - to - hip ratio), biceps, triceps, suprailiac and subscapular skinfold thickness, sex hormones (total estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, testostorone and SHBG), and blood lipids (serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels) were measured in all subjects. The patients with malignant breast disease had significantly higher BMI and WHR measurements and blood lipid values and lower sex hormone - binding globulin (SHBG) levels than the patients with benign breast disease and control subjects. Increasing obesity correlated with a progressive fail in SHBG level in breast cancer patients. The finding that increasing obesity lowers SHBG may explain the increased breast cancer risk in obese women. As regards preventing breast cancer, avoiding obesity is a potential measure to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this all too common disease.
Keywords: Obesity, female sex hormones, blood lipids, benign and malignant breast disease