Samsung Medical Center said Thursday that improving metabolic syndrome could lower the risk of developing breast cancer, based on the analysis of 935,5000 menopausal women aged between 40 and 74.

From left, Professors Shin Dong-wook of the Department of Family medicine and Chun So-hyun of the International Healthcare Center at Samsung Medical Center, and Choi In-young at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital have found that improving metabolic syndrome in menopausal women can lower breast cancer risk. (SMC)
From left, Professors Shin Dong-wook of the Department of Family medicine and Chun So-hyun of the International Healthcare Center at Samsung Medical Center, and Choi In-young at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital have found that improving metabolic syndrome in menopausal women can lower breast cancer risk. (SMC)

The hospital’s research team led by Professors Shin Dong-wook of the Department of Family medicine, Chun So-hyun of the International Healthcare Center, and Choi In-young at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, has confirmed that patients with metabolic syndrome were at 11 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to the healthy group.

Researchers divided subjects into four groups -- healthy group, those hit by metabolic syndrome, those recovered from the metabolic syndrome, and those showing persistent metabolic syndrome.

People who continued to live with metabolic syndrome showed an 18 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer than the healthy group in the studies.

Notably, those who recovered from the syndrome could lower the breast cancer risk by 5 percent. When the risk factors were treated and return to healthy figures, the patient group that recovered from the metabolic syndrome showed less breast cancer development.

Women tend to be vulnerable to metabolic syndrome after menopause due to changes in hormone excretion. Most of them feared insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, which are associated with breast cancer.

The risk of developing breast cancer increased when people go out of range in various criteria, including larger waist than 85 centimeters, fasting blood glucose above 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), blood pressure higher than 130 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) with diastolic of 85 mmHg or below, 150 mg/dL neutral fat, and 50 mg/dL high-density lipoprotein or lower.

 “Improving the metabolic syndrome in females after menopause could help prevent developing breast cancer,” Professor Shin said. “It is difficult to get all conditions back to before menopause, but attempts to improve even some of the risk factors will reduce the risk of breast cancer.”

The study results were published in the latest issue of the international journal Cancers.

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