Western nutrition and the insulin resistance syndrome: A link to breast cancer

Objective: The incidence of breast cancer in the Western world runs parallel to that of the major components of the insulin resistance syndrome—hyperinsulinaemia, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and atherosclerosis. Evidence is reviewed that the growth of breast cancer is favoured by specific dietary fatty acids, visceral fat accumulation and inadequate physical exercise, all of which are thought to interact in favouring the development of the insulin resistance syndrome.