Women who are obese increase their risk of developing ovarian cancer by 80 percent, according to a comprehensive study of nearly 94,500 women, the hormonal effects linked to overweight responses making them more prevalent.
The relationship was only found in women who had never used hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms.
The weight gain in postmenopausal women leads to increased production of estrogen, which in turn may stimulate growth of ovarian cells and a role in the development of ovarian cancer.
Previous studies have found an increased risk of ovarian cancer occurs among women who used HRT, but in this case the body weight did not seem to take effect.
There is also a link between obesity and increased breast cancer risk in women who have gone through menopause and the two forms of cancer are closely related.
In the UK there are about 6,800 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and about 4,400 deaths.
In nine out of ten people are expected to be obese or overweight by 2050 and this number will suffer from ovarian cancer development because of their weight.
The results could help doctors to monitor overweight women who have not used HRT for signs of disease.
The symptoms can be vague and include abdominal pain and bloating, fatigue, weight loss and urinary symptoms.
Tags: Body weight, menopausal symptoms, Obesity, ovarian cancer, Overweight,
