Iron in breast tissue correlated with elevated risk for breast cancer

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have conducted a very interesting study. They examined the mineral content of breast tissue among women with benign breast disease (dense breast tissue). A mild increased risk for breast cancer was correlated with higher amounts of minerals, zinc, calcium and iron, in breast tissues. When the data from postmenopausal women analyzed separately, the risk for breast cancer nearly doubled for iron in breast tissue compared to premenopausal women. There was no correlation between breast cancer and calcium or zinc in the breast tissue of postmenopausal women. Iron stood out as a strong risk factor. Postmenopausal women lack the control of iron they once had via monthly menstrual iron losses in blood flow. - Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention 16(8):1682-5, 2007.