Big breasts increase risk of diabetes

Women with big breasts may be at a higher risk of diabetes in adulthood than those less endowed, suggests a Canadian study that tracked 1,16,609 women over 10 years. Sanchita Sharma reports.

Women with big breasts may be at a higher risk of diabetes in adulthood than those less endowed, suggests a Canadian study that tracked 1,16,609 women over 10 years.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found the larger a woman’s bra cup size at age 20, the greater her risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

They found the age-related risk of developing Type 2 diabetes was two times higher for a B cup, four times higher for a C cup and five times higher for a D cup or larger than for women with the smallest cup size.

“Supporting this idea is the fact that puberty, in addition to being a time for breast development, is also a period marked by raised insulin resistance, which corresponds with the infamous middle school growth spurt. Since breast development is both accelerated and more pronounced in obese girls, so may be their levels of insulin resistance — a cornerstone for the development of Type 2 diabetes,” the study reports.

Big breasts are often an indicator of overall obesity. “Fat deposits on breasts in women, at the back of the neck, below the chin, around the heart and on the abdomen are important indicators of the metabolic profile of people and become a major determinant of risk for diabetes,” says Dr Anoop Misra, director, department of diabetes and metabolic disorders, Fortis Hospitals.