December 16, 2011 | 2 minute read

Eating smart, moving more and staying lean are actions we know can lower risk for many common cancers, including breast.

Now, new research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium last week showed that having type 2 diabetes significantly increases risk for postmenopausal breast cancer. In the Swedish study, women over age 60 with diabetes had a 37 percent increased risk for developing breast cancer if their diabetes had been diagnosed up to four years before cancer was diagnosed. AICR has written about the Diabetes-Cancer Connection, so this new study adds to the data showing a link between the two diseases.

Excess body fat is one shared risk factor for diabetes and cancer, so there are steps you can take to lower your risk for both diseases.

Get an early start to your New Year’s resolutions by finding ways to fit in more physical activity and choosing smaller portions of higher calorie foods to help get to and maintain a healthy weight. And that way you’ll feel even better this holiday season. Look here for some great ideas: Learning How to Fit Moving Into Your Already Busy Day, and Holiday Recipes from the AICR Test Kitchen. (Spoiler alert! Regular household cleaning counts as activity…and did you know pudding can be healthy?)

What do you do to stay a healthy weight during the holidays?