Although it's normally considered a good thing for people to have strong bones, high bone mineral density in older women could indicate a higher risk for breast cancer. Doctors believe this is because bone density could indicate how strongly the body responds to estrogen.
Women tend to lose bone density after menopause, when their bodies no longer produce estrogen.
Estrogen sensitivity also is linked to breast cancer. Among women who were studied and did not have a family history of breast cancer, those with the highest bone density were about 48 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than women with the lowest bone density. Among women with a family history of breast cancer, women with the highest bone density were three times as likely to develop cancer as women with lower bone density. Doctors believe this finding will help them in spotting women at greater risk for breast cancer by looking at their bone density. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say weak bones are not the answer.