Scientists say too many carbohydrates may increase more than just waistlines -- they might raise the risk of breast cancer.

BREAST CANCER Interactive: Inside Breast Cancer Who's At Risk? Spread Word Myths & Facts Cancer Quiz Myths Disease In Men Living After Breast Cancer

The study, published in the August issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, is one of the few to examine how the popular but controversial low-carb diet craze might affect the odds of getting cancer, as opposed to its effects on cholesterol and heart disease.

According to a study of 1,866 women in Mexico, those who derived 57 percent or more of their total energy intake from carbohydrates were 2.2 times as likely to get breast cancer than women with more balanced diets.

How applicable the results are to American women is debatable. Carbohydrates make up half of the typical American diet, and that's less than what most of the women in this study consumed.

The team of researchers from the Instituto de Salud Pública in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston suggests that the link between carbohydrates and breast cancer may be related to elevated levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins in the blood.

"This study raises important questions about high carbohydrate diets, particularly among populations or individuals prone to insulin resistance," said Dr. Walter Willett, one of the study researchers. "However, one study is not enough to make major changes in diet, and more work on this topic is urgently needed."

In the study, fiber intake was linked with lower risk of breast cancer, while fat intake didn't affect breast cancer risk. Researchers noted, however, that the study population eats much less fat than most Americans.