Researchers Suggest Link Between Breast Size and Diabetes Risk, 2008-03-06
Joint research conducted at the University of Toronto and Harvard suggests a link between breast size and the potential for developing Type 2 diabetes. The study, published in February in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, asserts that women who wore a “D” cup or larger at age 20 as compared to those with an “A” cup, have a three-times greater chance of developing diabetes later in life even when the factors of age, body mass, waist circumference, family history, eating habits, pregnancies, and level of physical activity are taken into account.
The study’s lead investigator, Dr. Joel Ray, an assistant professor and clinician scientist in the division of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of Toronto, posits that the connection can be found in how a woman’s breasts develop during puberty. Young women who are larger have both accelerated breast development and insulin resistance, which is a critical factor in the development of Type 2 diabetes. This elevation of insulin resistance occurs simultaneously with the notorious growth spurt adolescents experience during their middle school years.
Critics, however, assert that the results of the study most probably have more to do with an individual’s level of obesity rather than breast size alone and as such the findings constitute old news. The most reliable indicator of diabetes risk, they maintain, lies in examining a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) and their lifestyle. While the research in question confirms and reinforces the diabetes / body fat connection because breasts are mainly comprised of fat tissue, it does not provide any new or especially useful information. Furthermore, these nay-sayers doubt that the 96,106 women who participated in the study have an accurate memory for their bra size or an ability to guess their level of body fat from years earlier. Finally, the researchers at Harvard and Toronto did not take into account the environmental or genetic factors at work in breast development.
All that being said, however, people tend to act on the information that is most accessible and understandable to them. While young girls probably do not know their BMI nor have any idea how to calculate it, they do know their bra size and monitor how it changes each time they buy a new brassiere. If young women understand that as their bra size increases to the “D” level or higher their risk of developing diabetes also increases, they might be more likely to attempt to control their weight and check poor eating and lifestyle habits. Researchers discussing their findings did caution that young women should not become unnecessarily fixated on the connection, however. Some girls are naturally large breasted. Given the proliferation of diabetes in the United States in recent years, the best course of action is to monitor all the potential factors early in life and take the appropriate precautions.
