The topic of weight gets a lot of press -- especially as it relates to cancer. And there is no arguing that the general consensus by all doctors and nutritionists and experts is that obesity and weight gain are key risk factors in the whole game of cancer. And now there are even more statistics to support this belief.

According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a weight gain of 22 pounds increased a woman's risk of breast cancer by 18 percent. Women who lost the same amount of weight, however, lowered their risk by 57 percent. The study followed 87,000 women between the ages of 30 and 55 for 26 years. Researchers noted how their weight fluctuated after the age of 18 and from menopause and beyond. The study did not count weight gain during pregnancy. Losing weight -- at all ages -- largely decreased the chance of breast cancer.

There seems to be no mystery when it comes to weight and health. Higher levels of weight translate into higher levels of risk for all sorts of health problems. And the same goes for breast cancer -- the more excess weight, the more risk.