Going up several skirt sizes in midlife could be a warning sign of increased cancer risk, research suggests。

Women who went up a skirt size every decade after their mid-20s had a 33% greater risk of breast cancer after the menopause, say researchers at University College London。

Watching your skirt size from your mid-20s onwards could be a simple way to track weight gain, they told BMJ Open。

Obesity is a known risk factor for cancer, particularly midriff fat。

Prof Usha Menon of the Department of Women's Cancer, who led the study, told BBC News: "If skirt size could be confirmed by others as a good predictor of breast cancer risk in older women, this would be a very simple and easy way to monitor weight gain."

伦敦大学学院的研究人员表示，女性过了25岁之后，每过10年裙子如果增加一个尺码并伴有绝经现象，那么患上乳腺癌的风险就会增加33%。

从25岁起注意观察自己的裙子尺寸，是判断体重是否增加的一个简便方法，研究人员向《英国医学杂志：开放版》(BMJ Open)透露。

众所周知，肥胖是癌症致病的因素之一，尤其是腹部脂肪。

该研究负责人、女性肿瘤科教授乌莎·梅农(Usha Menon)告诉BBC新闻记者：“若是把裙子的尺寸作为老年女性患乳腺癌的风险预警信号这一研究能够得到其他人的认可，那么这将是监测体重是否增加的一个极其简便的方法。”

Lifestyle factors

The study tracked more than 90,000 women in their 50s and 60s living in England。

During the three-year follow-up period, 1,090 women developed breast cancer。

The researchers found that a unit increase in UK skirt size every 10 years (for example from 12 to 14) between 25 and post-menopausal age was linked to a 33% increased risk of breast cancer。

Going up two skirt sizes in the same period was associated with a 77% greater risk, they report。

Commenting on the research, Simon Vincent of Breakthrough Breast Cancer said: "We know that 40% of breast cancers could be prevented by changes to lifestyle such as being regularly active and maintaining a healthy weight。

"This study highlights an easy way to monitor your weight gain over time. Women are more likely to remember their skirt size when they were younger than their BMI."

生活方式因素

该研究以居住在英格兰的九万多名女性为调查对象，年龄都为五六十多岁。

为期三年的跟踪调查期间，1090名女性患上了乳腺癌。

研究人员发现，在英国女性从25岁到更年期期间，若裙子尺寸每10年增加一个单位(例如从12码到14码)，患乳腺癌的风险将增加33%。

研究人员报告还称，若裙子尺寸每10年增加两个单位，女性患乳腺癌的风险则将增加77%。

英国抗击乳腺癌研究中心的西蒙•文森特(Simon Vincent)评论该研究说：“我们知道，40%的乳腺癌可以通过改变生活方式来预防，如定期锻炼和保持健康体重等。”

“这项研究强调了监控体重增加的一个简单的方法。年轻女性大多更容易记住自己的裙子尺寸，而不是身体质量指数(BMI)。”

Limitations

The researchers said the study had some limitations - it relied on women being able to accurately recall their skirt size in their 20s。

But if the findings are confirmed, it could give women a simple and easy-to-understand message about the risks of obesity。

Tom Stansfeld of Cancer Research UK said the study could be unreliable as dress sizes had changed over the years and it relied on a woman being able to remember her skirt size several decades earlier。

"Evidence tells us the most important things you can do to reduce breast cancer risk, especially after the menopause, is to keep a healthy weight, be physically active as often as you can, and cut down on alcohol," he said。

"Keeping a healthy weight is important to help reduce breast cancer risk after the menopause, and looking at skirt sizes to help women understand this is interesting, but knowing if you're overweight is more important."

局限性

研究人员表示，这项研究也存在一定的局限性——这需要女性能够精确地回忆起她们二十几岁时裙子的尺寸。

然而，研究结果一旦得到证实，女性便可通过这一个简明易懂的信息来检测肥胖风险。

英国肿瘤研究中心汤姆·斯坦斯菲尔德认为，该研究并不可靠，因为衣服尺寸会随着岁月推移而改变，而这必须要求女性能够记得自己几十年前裙子的尺寸。

“证据表明，女性要想降低患乳腺癌的风险，最重要的事情就是保持健康体重、尽可能坚持锻炼身体以及减少摄入酒精量，尤其是进入更年期的女性。”他说道。

“保持健康体重对更年期女性降低乳腺癌风险非常重要。虽然根据观察裙子的尺寸来帮助女性判断患乳腺癌风险听起来十分有趣，但更重要的是要知道自己是否超重了。”