Obese post-menopausal women prone to breast cancer: studies

Obese post-menopausal women are more susceptible to breast cancer, and those who continue to gain weight after 50 are more likely to die from the disease, according to research presented at an obesity conference.

"There is an overwhelming number of studies that show a link between obesity and breast cancer," Cheryl Rock of the University of California, San Diego said at the annual conference of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO).

Marilie Gammon of the University of North Carolina warned that after menopause, obese women have a 75 percent greater chance of developing breast cancer.