One of the most feared diagnoses for many women is the one that says she has breast cancer. Not only does it challenge her very life but it attacks one of the key elements of a woman’s femininity and sometimes her identity. The thought of losing one of both breasts is frightening and often leads to a poor self-esteem and depression.

A hidden fear in the back of the mind of many women is that 1 of every 8 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. BreastCancer.org reports that in 2018, about 266,120 women and 2,550 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States, and about 40,920 women will die of breast cancer in 2018. In the United States, deaths of women from breast cancer is second only to deaths caused by lung cancer.

Researchers have proven that many cases of breast are caused by genetic factors. The genetic factor is so strong, that some women have and are opting to have their breasts removed before cancer can develop.

Yet, there are a number of other risk factors known to increase a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer. Here is a list of some of those risk factors:

• Age – risk increases with age
• Age at first childbirth – the older a first-time mom is, the greater her risk
• Age of girl when she has her first period – the younger the girl, the greater the risk
• Age at menopause – the older a woman is at menopause, the greater the risk
• Alcohol abuse – the more a woman drinks, the greater her risk
• Ashkenazi Jewish heritage – increased genetic risk
• Birth control pills – current or recent use the greater the risk
• Birth weight – the heavier the baby, the greater the risk
• Blood androgen (male hormone) levels – the higher the levels in a woman, the greater the risk
• Blood estrogen levels AFTER menopause – the higher the levels, the greater the risk
• Body weight – the higher the weight after menopause, the greater the risk
• Bone density – the higher the density, the greater the risk
• BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations
• Breast density – the higher the density, the greater the risk
• Family history – first-degree relative – mother, sister, daughter
• Height – taller people have a greater risk
• Hyperplasia (benign breast condition)
• IBF-1 hormone levels – The higher the level BEFORE menopause, the greater the risk
• Light at night – having a light on at night increases the risk
• Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
• Menopause Hormone therapy – therapy involving estrogen and progestin
• Personal history of other cancers
• Prolactin hormone levels – higher the level, the greater the risk
• Race/ethnicity – higher risk among certain ethnic groups
• Radiation exposure from medical imaging
• Radiation treatment when young
• Shift work
• Weight – gaining weight increases the risk

This list is enough to scare many women and I hate to add to the list, but recent research has found another risk factor that increases the chance of developing breast cancer and to many, this newly discovered risk will be a surprise.

Researchers discovered that when older women who have extra body fat, including those who have what is deemed to be normal body weight, have a greater risk of developing breast cancer.

Mia Gaudet, Strategic Director of Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research for the American Cancer Society, commented on the new study, saying:

“This suggests women should not just concentrate on weight.”

“Instead, they should focus on doing things that can help reduce body fat levels — like a healthy diet and regular exercise.”

Prior to this research, it was known that overweight and obese women have a greater risk of developing breast cancer AFTER menopause, however, most doctors looked at normal weight tables and standard body mass index (BMI) numbers. The problem is that BMI does not differentiate between a person’s bone, fat and muscle, it just looks at weight and height.

Recent research has indicated that BMI is not a good indicator of a person’s risk of developing hearth disease or type 2 diabetes and now it’s being discovered that it’s also not a good indicator of a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

If a woman is deemed to be at normal weight for her age and height, she might have a low BMI, but she may have extra body fat and less muscle, and this has now been found to increase her risk of developing breast cancer.

The study was conducted on nearly 3,500 women ages 50-79. They all had normal BMI, but researchers used dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, to measure the actual amount of body fat. Those women who were shown to have extra body fat, proved to be at greater risk of breast cancer than those with normal or below normal levels of body fat.

The message is that even if a woman is deemed to be at a normal weight and normal BMI, she needs to exercise and watch her diet in order to reduce the amount of body fat and help develop and maintain muscle mass.

Being a size 6 may look and feel great, but if that size 6 has less muscle mass and extra fat, her risk of developing breast cancer than another size 6 that exercises and watches her diet.