Breast cancer is a devastating diagnosis and effective treatment is key. According to a new report obesity may actually hinder a woman’s success rate for treatment. According to an online article British researchers studied 54 postmenopausal women with the most common form of breast cancer estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Over three quarters of the breast cancers need estrogen to grow, so if treatment is able to block the production or growth of estrogen, the treatment can be effective in treating breast cancer. The researchers discovered that breast cancer patients who were obese had higher levels to of estrogen than women who were of normal weight. Participants in the study were compared according to their BMI and a BMI over 30 is defined as obese. Participants with a BMI that was from 30 to 35 were at a higher level of estrogen about three times in their blood than those who had a BMI of less than 25 as reported by the researchers July 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. After treatment using drugs that suppress the hormone, estrogen levels contained in the obese women blood were reduced significantly but still remain double the levels of those seen in women who were of a normal weight. Breast cancer is a devastating diagnosis and effective treatment is key. According to a new report obesity may actually hinder a woman’s success rate for treatment. According to an online article British researchers studied 54 postmenopausal women with the most common form of breast cancer estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Over three quarters of the breast cancers need estrogen to grow, so if treatment is able to block the production or growth of estrogen, the treatment can be effective in treating breast cancer. The researchers discovered that breast cancer patients who were obese had higher levels to of estrogen than women who were of normal weight. Participants in the study were compared according to their BMI and a BMI over 30 is defined as obese. Participants with a BMI that was from 30 to 35 were at a higher level of estrogen about three times in their blood than those who had a BMI of less than 25 as reported by the researchers July 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. After treatment using drugs that suppress the hormone, estrogen levels contained in the obese women blood were reduced significantly but still remain double the levels of those seen in women who were of a normal weight. 