The researchers found that ???Compared with underweight or normal weight women, overweight and obese women were more likely to be recalled for additional tests after adjusting ??¦ for age and breast density.??? Overweight women were 17 percent more likely to be recalled, women in the obese category I group were 27 percent more likely to be recalled, and women in the obese category II and III groups were 31 percent more likely to be recalled.

???A woman??™s weight may influence the accuracy of screening mammography in several important ways,??? write the authors. ???Obese women had more than a 20 percent increased risk of having a false-positive mammogram result compared with underweight and normal weight women. We did not find statistically significant improvements in sensitivity in obese women to counter this increase in false-positive rates. Understanding the quality of mammography among obese women is important, especially since the American population is becoming more obese and obesity is a modifiable risk factor,??? the researchers write.

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