Seoul National University Professor Kang Dae-hee’s research team, tracking 70,000 people for 9 years
It has been pointed out that steady blood pressure management can lower the risk of breast cancer, the cancer with the highest incidence in women. This is because a large-scale follow-up study confirmed that high diastolic blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure) in middle-aged women can indicate the risk of breast cancer.
Professor Kang Dae-hee’s research team at Seoul National University College of Medicine’s Department of Preventive Medicine published a study that confirmed the association between diastolic blood pressure and breast cancer in middle-aged women aged 40 to 69.
The research team followed 73,031 middle-aged women (858 of them diagnosed with breast cancer, 1.17%) for an average of 9 years between 2004 and 2013. As a result, when the diastolic blood pressure was as high as 85 to 89 mmHg, the risk of developing breast cancer was on average 1.40 times higher than that of normal (less than 85 mmHg).
In particular, when the risk was analyzed before and following menopause (menopause), the risk of developing breast cancer increased by 1.73 times in women with high diastolic blood pressure following menopause. On the other hand, we did not find the same level of risk in women before sex. In the case of systolic blood pressure (systolic blood pressure), no significant association was found between menopausal and breast cancer incidence.
Regarding these results, the research team pointed out that hypertension and menopause further promote cardiovascular changes that negatively affect blood flow according to aging.
As we age, arteries lose their elasticity and become stiff (hardened), which hinders smooth blood circulation in peripheral blood vessels, including the breast. This leads to the result that the blood circulation process does not properly handle wastes and inflammation accumulated in peripheral blood vessels such as the breast, resulting in an environment in which tumors or abnormal cells can proliferate. In the case of high blood pressure, it usually makes the arteries stiffer, accelerating it further.
The association with menopause is due to the cardiovascular protective function of the female hormone estrogen. Estrogen dilates blood vessels to improve function and regulates the amount of lipids (such as cholesterol) in the blood. Therefore, in general, middle-aged women in menopause have a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and arteriosclerosis, including obesity and hypertension.
For the same reason, fat tissue in the breast increases in postmenopausal women, and this increased fat cell is presumed to lead to an increase in the secretion of ‘estradiol’, a follicular hormone known to induce breast, urethral, and prostate cancers.
In this respect, diastolic blood pressure, not systolic blood pressure, is associated with breast cancer risk. Diastolic blood pressure is the rate at which the heart draws blood from the veins as it expands. When the diastolic blood pressure is higher than the systolic pressure, it means that the heart is not pumping enough blood. In this case, the blood flow to the peripheral blood vessels is further reduced, so the body’s waste and abnormal tissue processing function is inevitably reduced.
Professor Kang said, “Although systolic blood pressure is often considered more important while managing blood pressure, this study shows that diatom blood pressure management is also important for postmenopausal women.” It has been reported that it is ~15% higher, so steady blood pressure management can have great benefits in cancer prevention.”
The research results were published in the international scientific journal ‘Scientific Reports’.
