Obesity has a direct correlation with the most common form of breast cancer, reveals a latest study conducted by the Cancer Research UK. The research stressed on the fact that the influence of obesity on cancer is even more severe than that of smoking or alcohol.

The researchers discovered that excess weight strongly stimulated the levels of the female sex hormones, oestrogen, which is known to influence about three-quarters of breast tumours.

The reports were based on the data collected from nearly 6,300 post-menopausal women from 13 studies seeking the leading factors affecting sex hormones.

Studies reveal that post-menopausal women with high oestrogen and testosterone level have between two and three times the danger of breast cancer than women with the lower levels.

The high levels of hormones like progesterone and oestrogen can also be attributed to drinking and smoking. The study, which is likely to make the women aware of these alterable risk factors, explained that women who smoked more than 15 cigarettes daily or consumed over two and a half units of alcohol a day, are likely to experience a high level of hormones, which means they will have a body mass index of 25 or more.

Maintaining a healthy body weight and limiting alcohol consumption are basics for reducing breast cancer menace, said Dr. Julie Sharp, of Cancer Research UK.