A recently conducted study has revealed that there are higher chances of women gaining weight after breast cancer diagnosis. Study authors said chemotherapy play a crucial role in weight gain among women.

Findings of the study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention showed that women are twice likely to gain at least 5 kg of weight within five years after they opt for chemotherapy as compared to those women who do not have cancer.

Study lead author Dr. Kala Visvanathan from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US said, “Our study showed that women diagnosed with breast cancer and those who received chemotherapy to treat their breast cancer gained more weight within the first five years of diagnosis and treatment than cancer-free women”.

Dr. Visvanathan said in an explanation that the increase in weight could predict whether or not an individual is at risk to other chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

In an interview with CBS News, she said most of the breast cancer patients basically do not die of breast cancer but they die of other diseases. Therefore, she said it is very important to keep a check on those chronic illnesses as well.

Nearly 303 breast cancer survivors and 307 cancer-free women participated in the study. Researchers noted that participants who were diagnosed with breast cancer within the five-year time span of the investigation gained on an average 1.7 kg more than those who were cancer-free.

On the other hand, participants who were diagnosed with non-hormone sensitive invasive cancer gained an average 3.3 kg, found researchers. Also, participants who were diagnosed more than five years earlier or received hormone therapy did not mark any weight gain.