cancer after menopause, compared to thinner women (weighing less than 130 pounds). Since 80% of breast cancers occur after menopause, the negative effects of obesity far outweigh the beneficial effects. The results are the same whether body weight is examined directly or if body mass index is used to adjust for the effects of height on body weight.

Body Shape and Breast Cancer: Several human studies have found that women who carry more of their body fat on their stomach (apple shaped) have higher rates of postmenopausal breast cancer compared to women with more of their body fat around their hips (pear shaped). This seems to be true regardless of women's body weight. The relationship of the location of fat on the body and premenopausal breast cancer risk has not been clearly determined

Height and Breast Cancer: A woman's height has been associated with breast cancer risk in many studies. Taller women (5� 9� or taller) have a small increase in risk of both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer compared to shorter women (5� 3� or shorter). A person's height is determined by the interaction of genetics and nutrition. How height might affect breast cancer risk is unclear.