One of the health risks older women face is fragile bones that break easily. Researchers have found that women whose bones are most dense have the greatest rate of breast cancer developing. It's not the bones themselves that are the breast cancer risk. It's what causes the bones to be strong.
Strong bones mean a greater lifetime exposure to estrogen.
And a greater lifetime exposure to estrogen has been linked to increased breast cancer risk. This finding is important because it offers what may be a new way to judge a woman's risk for developing breast cancer. Until now, doctors looked at factors like age at puberty, age at first pregnancy and age at menopause to calculate the probable lifetime exposure to estrogen. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center say strong bones are still very important. Women shouldn't be confused by this study.