Low Bone Density Associated W/ Decreased Risk of Breast Cancer
I must admit that this title was a little bit disturbing to me. Of course, knowing that estrogen does have an effect on slowing the rate of bone loss while at the same time being considered a carcinogen, does clear things up for myself. These may not even be a direct link so try not to jump the gun just yet and focus hard on lowering your bone density to reduce your risk of breast cancer. It may be that women who do not exercise have higher bone densities and become obese. Obesity and lack of exercise will further contribute to osteoporosis and breast cancer….so the reverse must logically also fit in somewhere.
J Clin Epidemiol 2001;54:417-422 Women in the lowest quartile for bone mineral density (BMD) appear to have the lowest risk of breast cancer, based on an analysis of data from the Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT). According to lead investigator Dr. Diane S. M. Buist, this is the largest such study to date in terms of number of people evaluated and age distribution. The investigators note in their paper that BMD represents “a composite measure of exposure to many different factors throughout ones lifetime,” and that an exploration of these factors may point to an explanation for the association between BMD and breast cancer. “We are not making any clinical recommendation for BMD being used as a screening mechanism for breast cancer,” Dr. Buist stressed. “What we do know is that BMD has some intriguing relationships with breast cancer.”