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A new British study has found that significant weight gain after age 20, combined with late motherhood or never having children, can nearly triple a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. The research, presented at the European Congress on Obesity, analyzed data from 48,417 women with an average age of 57 and a median body mass index (BMI) of 26.
Participants were grouped based on the timing of their first pregnancy—either before age 30, at age 30 or older, or never having given birth—and their weight gain after age 20. Over an average follow-up period of 6.4 years, 1,702 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.
The study found that women who gained more than 30% of their body weight after age 20 and either had their first child after age 30 or never gave birth were 2.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer compared to those who had children earlier and gained less than 5% of their adult weight.
Breast cancer diagnoses are on the rise, and more women are choosing to have children later in life. The lead researcher emphasized that understanding how age at motherhood and weight gain affect breast cancer risk can help identify those most at risk and guide targeted lifestyle advice.
“Information about how age of motherhood and weight gain affect the risk of breast cancer would allow us to better work out who is most at risk of the disease and target lifestyle advice accordingly,” the lead researcher noted.
Disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Individuals concerned about their risk for breast cancer should consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalized guidance and screening recommendations.
