Carrying excess weight after menopause is a known risk factor for breast cancer. But a new study finds the risk is “especially high” in postmenopausal women with heart disease.Researchers analyzed data from more than 168,000 women who were part of two large European health initiatives. The participants were free of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease when they agreed to participate.After a median follow-up of 10+ years, nearly 68-hundred women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The results showed a strong link between increased body mass index, breast cancer risk and heart disease.Each 5-point increase in BMI was associated with a 31% higher risk of breast cancer in women who developed heart disease during follow-up…compared to a 13% higher risk in those who did not.The researchers estimate excess weight and heart disease led to 153 more cases of breast cancer per 100,000 people per year than expected.The development of type 2 diabetes did not seem to affect breast cancer risk related to BMI.The lead author says these findings could help design more personalized breast screening programs and “should inspire future research to include women with a history of cardiovascular diseases in weight loss trials for breast cancer prevention.”Source: CANCERAuthor Affiliations: International Agency for Research on Cancer, University of Barcelona, University of Vienna, Imperial College London, German Institute of Human Nutrition, University of Potsdam, Aarhus University, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, University of Oxford, Luigi Vanvitelli University, University of Turin, Hyblean Association for Epidemiological Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, Dutch Heart Foundation, The Hague.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter