
A mid-life increase in body mass index (BMI) may substantially increase postmenopausal breast cancer risk, according to research by investigators from NCI and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. In a recent analysis, women who reported a gain in BMI of five points (5 kg/m2) or more between age 20 and postmenopausal age (ages 55-74) had nearly twice the risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer compared to women who maintained their BMI during the same time period.