Researchers have determined that higher-than-normal levels of insulin place post-menopausal women at increased risk of developing breast cancer. It's been known for some time that obesity is connected to breast cancer somehow, but the actual specifics of how and why haven't been totally clear.

Many researchers have assumed that the obesity/breast cancer connection was related to the higher estrogen levels in obese women, since estrogen is stored in body fat. Now the scientists understand that high insulin levels may be an additional contributing cause. It's now believed that such an imbalance in elevated insulin levels, along with estrogen, may trigger breast cells to grow and even mutate.

This is of course of particular concern for women who have diabetes and who also are obese. If you fall into that category, consider meeting with your doctor to discuss this further. Getting your weight down, as well as controlling your blood sugar levels to manage your insulin levels well, needs to be a priority for preserving good breast health (and our overall health).

Every cell in our body carries insulin, which acts like a growth factor to assist the cell with its replication processes. No doubt this opens a brand new field of research related to breast cancer and prevention.