Smoking may increase sex hormone levels in postmenopausal women, a new study suggests. Previous research has shown that high levels of estrogens and androgens may be risk factors for breast and endometrial cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes. Researchers examined blood samples from 2,030 postmenopausal women, aged 55 to 81, and found that current smokers had higher circulating levels of androgens and estrogens than former and never smokers. The findings will be published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
