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Study: Large-Breasted Women More Diabetes-Prone

Researchers advise against preventive surgery

January 31, 2008

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A new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal claims that women with larger breasts have a 68 percent higher chance of developing diabetes by middle age than their small-breasted counterparts.

The study was conducted among female nurses in the United States over 10 years. The goal was to examine whether there was a link between breast development and diabetes among women.

The study claims that women who develop big breasts by the age of 20 are at 68 percent higher risk of developing the disease in later years.

Dr. Joel Ray, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and a clinician-scientist at the local St Michael's Hospital, said this was "the broad conclusion" of his research team on the basis on the study that was published on Tuesday.

"Our findings are based on data from the Nurses Health Study II project in 14 American states. In a nutshell, 92,102 nurses were studied for link between their breast size and their chances of developing diabetes by the age of 35. The bigger their breasts are at the age of 20, the bigger their chances of developing diabetes," Ray said.

But breast size was not the only factor that could cause diabetes among women in their later years. Ray was quick to add that the breast size could be one of the factors, apart from smoking, family history, diet and ethnicity that could trigger diabetes in women.

"Obesity remains a big factor. Obese women tend to have larger breasts, thereby becoming more prone to diabetes," he explained.

The findings will now help study how breast fat influences insulin resistance. Ray emphasized that their research was preliminary at this stage and should not be taken at its face value.

"Women should not think about breast surgeries to minimize their chances of developing diabetes," he said.

The complete study is available online.

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