Low "Good" Cholesterol May Flag Breast Cancer Risk

Among older overweight women, low levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol may signal an increased risk of breast cancer risk, research suggests. Dr. Anne-Sofie Furberg from the University of Tromso in Norway and colleagues studied nearly 39,000 Norwegian women who provided data on lipids, weight, diet, and lifestyle. They were followed for an average of 17 years, during which time a total of 708 women developed invasive breast cancer. As reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, low HDL cholesterol was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer after menopause in overweight women.