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Migraines lower cancer risk

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Marie Claire news: Depressed woman

Women who suffer from regular migraines are reportedly less likely to get breast cancer.

According to new research from America, which quizzed over 3,000 individuals, women with a history of migraines appear to be around 30% less likely to develop breast cancer.

A link was made between the two conditions when medics looked into how hormone levels are linked to cancers. It is already widely accepted that migraines can be triggered by a surge or dip in hormones, while two of the most common forms of breast cancer are also linked to oestrogen and progesterone.

In the test group, nearly 2,000 women had fought breast cancer, compared to just under 1,500 who were cancer-free. The researchers than asked all their volunteers whether they had ever been diagnosed as suffering from migraines.

The results pointed to a substantially lower risk of breast cancer among those who had.

However, the doctors behind the study urge everyone to wait for further research before jumping to any conclusions.

'While these results need to be interpreted with caution, they point to a possible new factor that may be related to breast cancer risk,' Dr Christopher Li of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle said. 'This gives us a new avenue to explore the biology behind risk reduction.'

Thursday 6 November 2008

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GREAT NEWS! But the last three paragraphs confuse me as you suddenly turn the tables and talk of a "lower risk of breast cancer among those who hadn't" supposedly "been diagnosed as suffering from migraines" (from end of previous paragraph) - can you please clarify? I've been suffering from migraines for over two decades and this is the first side effect that is positive so I'd like to be completely clear about it. Thanks!
Comment by Marta on November 07 07:57

Hi Marta, Sorry about that. The article has been changed to reflect the correct research. As it says, this is still a very early survey and further research will be needed. If you want to read more, the full article appears in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
Comment by Carla Bevan, marieclaire.co.uk Editor on November 07 10:21

Thanks for the clarification. I am definitely checking up the complete article. And thanks for all the health news. The celebs may be fun but this is much more helpful!
Comment by Marta on November 07 20:27